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The winery itself is located in off of Langtry Road not far from Cain Winery in the midst of the Spring Mountain District. Due to its isolated winery location, narrow windy roads and limited use permit - their "public face" is their tasting room in the town of Calistoga right next to the creek that runs through town. In fact they have outdoor seating available which makes this a perfect spot to taste wine during the warmer months. Much of their fruit source comes from the dry farmed Frediani Vineyard located on the valley floor just off of the Silverado Trail - a bit south of Calistoga. As you turn off of highway 29/128 at the stop sign onto Lincoln Ave (the main street through Calistoga), the tasting room is in a corner location 2 blocks down on your left side (look for the blue roof). In mid 2009 they re-opened after being closed several months for renovation. Their tasting bar used to be located within the Hurd Beeswax Candle store which has been moved to the town of St. Helena and is now open by appointment only. The renovation inside the building looks fantastic with lots of open space and the focus now being on the wine. Famed football coach Dick Vermeil (Dick has made two trips to the Super Bowl) was born and raised in Calistoga and at one point coached at Napa College in the south part of the valley. He is friends with the Frediani's and has teamed up with OnThEdge wines to produce his own label (Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Proprietary red and a Cabernet Sauvignon). A fair collection of memorabilia relating to his storied career is found within the tasting room including several footballs from his playing career and lots of photos. An autographed movie poster of "Invincible" hangs on the wall. This movie is based on a true story of an out of work 30 year old who makes the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976 during an open tryout held by then coach Dick Vermeil. The tasting room opened in 2002 making it one of the older tasting rooms in Calistoga - a town that has recently sprouted several new tasting rooms. OnThEdge is open to the public and walk-ins are welcome. If you want to see the actual winery on Spring Mountain you have to make an appointment (very small groups only). A nice perk of a visit to their Calistoga tasting room is OnThEdge often has older vintages available for tasting; this is fairly uncommon in Napa where most tasting rooms only pour current releases during their general tastings. There are several wines that have stood out from our several tastings here. They make an excellent softer styled Charbono, an uncommon varietal in the Napa Valley which requires a very specific growing climate. There are just a few handful of wineries making this varietal in the Napa Valley and because of the northern valley's unique growing climate Charbono production is centered here. In the summer, this varietal thrives on very hot days with much cooler nights - we've seen 50 degree temperature swings between night and day in the Calistoga area. Charbono is a unique grape, one that can have a very distinctive taste that is almost wild or gamey at times. Their 2005 vintage has some of this but also delicious fruit, soft tannins and a wonderful lingering finish. Their Syrahs are juicy in style with ripe concentrated fruit that makes for a very plush big mouth feel while still retaining a very nice softness. The 2004 shows great fruit with a core of black fruit including blackberry and black currant. They also offer a vertical tasting of their Zinfandels; you will pick up subtle nuances in aroma and flavor depending on the actual vintage. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is named Jean Louis Vermeil after two of Dick Vermeils' great grandfathers. Dick and his wife literally helped hand craft this particular wine. In an interesting twist of fate, Dick's ancestors used to own the Frediani Vineyard which supplies OnThEdge most of their fruit. This Cabernet Sauvignon has already received some very good press and high ratings by respected wine critics. Several of their wines are named for the year when their vineyards were first planted including the 1908 Late Harvest Zinfandel harvested from 100+ year old Zinfandel vines. Yes, this is definitely considered "old vine zin"! Their 2003 vintage is certainly not the overly ripe, viscous, prune-like late harvests you can sometimes find, rather the sugar level is controlled with just the right amount of tartness to actually make this wine ok to pair with food including a variety of steaks and or spicy food. The well structured finish shows good tannins and is part of the reason why this "dessert" wine can be paired with a meal (to help cut through the tannins). Be sure to open the "bee doors" (one of the more interesting attractions found inside a Napa tasting room!). Built inside of the building's wall is is a live colony of buzzing honeybees very much at work in their hive! Visit: www.onthedgewinery.com and Dick Vermeil's wine site here: www.vermeilwines.com |
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