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The total estate encompasses 600 acres of which nearly 60 acres are planted to vine. Most of the estate is hillside with vineyards flowing down the sides of the Vaca mountains. In addition there are higher vineyards located behind the hills directly behind the winery. The winery itself sits right near Mt. George in the eastern part of the Coombsville region, a part of the Napa Valley that generally sees a cooler growing climate due to its proximity to the San Pablo Bay in the south and the influences of the daily fog. This site used to be the home of the old Cedar Knoll Vineyard and Winery founded in 1881 by Mr. Henry Hagen (Hagen Road is named in his honor). When the Palmazes purchased the property the old ghost winery was still on site which they have since restored. Like so many other wineries in the valley and beyond, the original winery was shut down due to Prohibition and this land was not used commercially for wine grapes until it was purchased by the Palmaz Family. Allow at least 2 hours for a visit here as well as additional time to get to your next appointment. The tour starts on the fourth floor and will walk you through several levels of the cave; everything during the winemaking process is conducted by gravity flow. This is the world’s largest underground reinforced structure which at 54 feet tall is quite imposing when you see it in person! When drilling a cave this size you are bound to hit something of interest underground and in this case they actually hit gold in the rock at one point. While not concentrated enough to mine commercially this is the first time we have heard of any cave in Napa Valley actually hitting natural gold underground! There is a viewpoint at the upper level complete with a hand touch console which controls many aspects of each tank including their rotation as they sit on a custom made belt system. Each of these tanks is "online" and you can also control the tank temperatures merely by touch. Other features include a huge wine elevator for transporting the large tanks between cavern levels, as well as the cavern's own water treatment plant; the ornamentals and other shrubbery on the grounds are watered entirely with this recycled water. This winery is completely underground and self contained. We have visited several times and during our latest visit Florencia Palmaz gave our tour. She has a great sense of humor and her insights into the wine industry really help complement the tour. Her family is originally from Argentina but have lived in the states for many years. Their fun room or as it is commonly referred to "the girls" room contains all their white wines. This is a separate room in the cave devoted entirely to white varietals. While Palmaz has focused their attention on making Cabernet Sauvignon they also make a number of white wines including Riesling (which tends to sell out rather quickly), Chardonnay and a delicious Muscat Canelli "Florencia". They are not fans of big oaky and buttery Chardonnays - you will not find that type of wine here. The winemaking and oak program is of course an important element in the style of wine. Rather their Chardonnay is made in a Burgundian style with cold fermentation as well as aging taking place in oak sur lie. As a result this wine has good weight but is not overly viscous. Citrus blossom show on the bouquet with clean balanced flavors on the palate including some notes of minerality. Their core wine is Cabernet Sauvignon and each vintage tends to be blended slightly with another Bordeaux varietal or two. During your tasting you will typically taste one of their slightly older vintages of this wine along with their current release. The 2002 is aging quite well showing notes of tobacco and leather along with rich blackberry aromas. Rich ripe fruit shows on the palate including a plethora of baking spice; the fruit is holding up very well and this should be a wine that will continue to age and evolve well. The "Gaston" Cabernet Sauvignon is their special wine and is made in very limited quantities during years where they feel the quality is worthy of releasing. This wine is named after Florencia's brother. The bouquet on the 2005 is decidedly all about the fruit; the palate is plush and smooth upon entry with some interesting notes of earthiness present. It is smooth, full bodied and well balanced with a long finish and does not show any harsh tannins. We have tried several vintages of their Muscat Cannelli dessert wine including the 2007. Not to be outdone by her brother, this wine is named after Florencia. It is light Muscat Cannelli that is not overly viscous, high in alcohol or high in sugar. Rather it is very clean and crisp and best served chilled. It is a very refreshing wine. There is a big floral bouquet on the nose with notes of honeysuckle and mineralities on the palate. The tasting is held in a special room within the cave winery and what an elegant room this is! You sit at a long table surrounded by stone arches. All wines are paired with cheese and other tasty specially prepared hor d'oeuvres including delectable's such as truffles or as we had during our latest visit, smoked salmon with wasabi infused caviar. For a winery of this size the production is currently around 6 thousand cases although they certainly have the vineyards and winery capacity to increase that at some point. Visit: www.palmazvineyards.com |
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