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The Terraces comprise 120 rolling hillside acres which is mostly planted in vineyards of which the grapes are sold to other Napa wineries. However, the owners make about 1200 cases of wine from what they consider to be from the best vineyards on the property. 1200 cases is not a lot and typically demand far outpaces their supply. This location is on the site of a 125+ year old quarry - this stone was used in many older buildings in the nearby town of St. Helena. There used to be another winery here around the turn of the century and several historical buildings remain. Typically one of the owners or their one employee will drive you around in one of their two 4wd "mule" carts, which are great for attacking the steep slopes of the property. If you are on a tour with Timm its a great experience as he will explain in depth a lot of the viticulture that goes into making great wine. He will actually take you out in the vineyards for individualized tours. You won't find this type of individualized tours with most Napa Valley wineries. There are excellent views of the valley and looking over to the western Mayacamas mountains from their upper most vineyards. Be sure to ask to see their vinegar aging stone house (called the Acetaia) as they make Balsamic vinegar each year and their oldest vintage has already aged for 11+ years. The vinegar is aged in special wood barrels imported from Italy. They showed us the proper way for tasting vinegar - put your hand out palm down, raise your thumb and they will squirt a bit of the excellent tasting vinegar on the back of your hand which you will then lick off. As they say in Italy and as Sharon indicated "we make it for our grandchildren" - as this type of Balsamic Vinegar becomes "exceptional" after a minimum of 25 years of aging! Some of the high end Balsamic vinegars in Italy have been aged at least 75 years! The Terraces released their first vintage of wine in 1985. Tasting is upstairs in a modern tastefully decorated room. We really enjoyed their Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. They also make Petite Sirah and a Chardonnay. Their Zinfandel clones actually trace back to grapes planted on the property in the 1800's. Their Cabernet clones are from two high end area wineries, Caymus and Grace Family Vineyards. Their wines were originally made at Caymus until they were able to open their own modern winery on site in 1991. All pricing is quite reasonably for small hand crafted wine - especially by Napa standards. They have a small guesthouse on site reserved for customers - inquire about pricing and availability. For a private stay, it doesn't get much better than this! Visit: www.terraceswine.com |
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