Darms Lane Winery as the name indicates is located on Darms Lane in between Yountville and the city of Napa (just west of Highway 29). While perhaps not recognizing this name one may be familiar with Crichton Hall. Darms Lane was previously Crichton Hall; Crichton Hall’s own vintage history dates back to 1983 making this among the older active producers in Napa Valley still farming the same vineyard.
What today is called the Bon Passe Vineyard was originally planted in the late 1970s and was once owned by Gil Nickel of Nickel and Nickel & Far Niente Wineries. For many years the vineyard was planted entirely to Chardonnay. In the early 2000s the vineyard needed to be replanted and up stepped one of the limited partners, Larry Bump who bought out the rest of the partners and became the sole owner. At this time the vineyard was replanted to several Bordeaux varieties including the majority to Cabernet Sauvignon (various clones) and while still growing Chardonnay, the vineyard is also planted to Merlot and Petit Verdot. And in addition to using this fruit for their own wines, they also sell grapes to several premium producers.
This is very much a family owned and operated business. Today, Larry’s daughter Tricia is the General Manager and is who we met with for this review. Prior to joining Darms Lane, Tricia like her father also graduated from Oklahoma State University; she earned her BS degree in Management Information Systems from Oklahoma State University in 1994; her previous career was as a computer programmer. Her sisters are also involved in the sales and marketing of the wines.
Larry’s background involved operating an international oil pipeline company (he was Chairman and CEO of Willbros from 1980 through 2002) and he also owned a cattle and horse ranch in Oklahoma. His initial investment in Crichton Hall was because of his interest in wine but little did he know that this initial investment would lead him more seriously into the wine business. From “pipes to wine” upon his retirement, this is certainly one of the more interesting transitions into Napa winery ownership.
Winemaker Brian Mox made all their vintages from 2003 through 2023. Brian was the first winemaker at Laird Family Estates, a busy custom crush facility located just north of the city of Napa. The Darms Lane wines are currently made at Laird Family Estates as there is no physical winery yet built at Darms Vineyard.
For several years after the replanting no wine was commercially produced from Crichton Hall and the name change officially came in 2008. The first vintage of Darms Lane was from 2005. Darms Lane continues to quietly produce premium wines year after year, staying well-under the radar.
The Darms Lane vineyard is nestled against the southern hills of the Mayacamas mountains right at the northern edge of the Oak Knoll District. This is an excellent vineyard neighborhood as several wineries and or winery owned vineyards are located nearby include Trefethen, Groth, Shifflet Estate and formerly Dr. Richard Peterson’s unique and treasured Wrotham Pinot Noir ‘diddly squat’ vineyard.
The Darms Lane property encompasses 50 acres of which 14 are currently planted to a variety of Bordeaux red varieties. The vineyards include a nice mix of both benchland as well as hillside soils. This is the southern part of the Mayacamas mountains and its benchland soils start approximately in this area and extend all the way up to near St. Helena. These soils have formed during millions of years through erosion. As a result, the soils are composed of both gravel and loam and provide excellent drainage.
Select Wines
The focus of their production is on estate wines, specifically a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; however, they do make much smaller productions of a standalone estate Petit Verdot and a Cabernet Sauvignon from “Linda’s Vineyard”. As of our latest update to this review they also source from several vineyards not under their ownership including for their Pinot Noir (from the Russian River in neighboring Sonoma County) and some of their Chardonnay (from Oak Knoll).
Whites
The 2023 Darms Lane Chardonnay Oak Knoll District is medium gold in color; the bouquet is immediatley open knitted, offering a union of both tropical and orchard fruit influences. These scents include pineapple, passion fruit, honeycomb, apricots, yellow peaches, hazelnut, butterscotch and a layer of lemon meringue. It smells ripe, bright and fresh; for reference this was the first bottling of any Napa Valley 2023 Chardonnay we tasted. The palates sports an initial flinty/minerally character accompanied by flavors of yellow peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, papaya and popcorn butter. Its creamy texture is supple and as soft as running one’s hand through a thick cashmere sweater. Lingers with notes of toasted almond and hazelnut. Medium acidity. There is no mistaking this as California Chardonnay. Compared to the 2022 bottling, this vintage is perhaps not quite as ripe. This wine was fermented in French oak barrels and then aged for 10 months sur-lie prior to bottling.
The 2022 Darms Lane Chardonnay Oak Knoll District was made from their own estate grapes as well as from one of the neighboring vineyards. This wine was fermented in French oak barrels and then aged sur-lie for 10 months prior to bottling. It is deep gold in color; the expressive bouquet offers aromas of honeycomb, ripe pineapple, papaya also at the peak of its ripeness, creme Brule, caramel, popcorn butter, corn tassel, mottled banana and a note of apricot. The aromas are not shy and are fully expressive of this variety and California sunshine. Easy drinking but generous, the palate reveals flavors of ripe orchard fruits including yellow peaches, apricots and nectarines, and mango accompanied by melting butter. The flavorful and sweetly-fruited finish lingers with notes of sweet vanilla, macadamia nut, and ripe pineapple. Serve chilled on a warm summer evening, relaxing by the pool with friends or family.
The 2018 Darms Lane Chardonnay was harvested from both their estate vineyard and select lots from one of their Oak Knoll neighbors, Trefethen Vineyards. Barrel fermented in French oak and then aged sur lie for 10 months. Immediately smells appealing. Initially, aromas of lemon meringue, citrus, mango & ripe Golden Delicious apple. Leads to a sweet thread on the bouquet showing both floral and dessert spices including toasted vanilla, honeysuckle and citrus blossom. Also hints of popcorn butter but this does not overtly show. Rounded and creamy, first sip showed mineralities on the palate. The finish is supple, rich and very long lasting – lingers with notes of butter, dessert spices and bright acidity. A nicely balanced offering.
Reds
The 2007 Darms Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Linda’s Vineyard was their first such vintage of this wine. After it was released, $25 from every bottle was donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The vineyard and wine are named in honor of Tricia’s mother Linda who passed away from Ovarian Cancer.
The 2005 Bon Passe Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is dark ruby in the glass. The nose is very aromatic with pleasing floral characteristics and an aroma of chocolate as the wine open. The palate leans more towards displaying dark fruit including black cherry and black currant. A dustiness or smokiness forms on the edge of the palate and shows from the start to the finish. The mouth feel is soft and medium to full bodied in structure. The tannins are supple, smooth and balanced.
We also tasted the 2006 and 2007 vintages of the Bon Passe Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines are consistent in quality, and both show a pleasant earthy or dusty nuance on the bouquets. The 2007 Darms Lane Bon Passe Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was crafted with fruit from their hillside knoll. This bouquet is dark and brooding leading to a rich layered juicy palate. This is a wine that has a lot going for it in terms of complexity of flavor; it will be very interesting to see how it develops over the next few years. It should also be noted that we tried this soon after bottling and at the time, wasn’t yet released.
Fortune 1621
Bumps Pond, Plymouth
Based on the number of passengers and crew from previous ships and also the Mayflower and the Fortune, Edward was one of the early western settlers from Europe to live in the ‘new world’; for reference as of 2022, the current population of the U.S is 333.3 million.
And while the Mayflower ship is imprinted into the minds of every school child in the country, the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery ships arrived in Jamestown in 1607. The Mayflower had in fact had initially set sail with another ship, the Speedwell but the Speedwell leaked so badly its voyage was abandoned and the Mayflower sailed alone. And with a connection to wine, the Mayflower was previously used in the wine trade.
Several other ships including Anne and Little James arrived in 1623. While Edward’s last name was originally of French origins (translates into English as ‘good pass’) several spellings were used associated with his family and heirs including Bompasse, Bumpas, Bumpus, Bumpass and Bumpasse. This surname eventually transitioned into just Bump. Edouard married a woman named Hannah in 1631 and had 12 children together. He and Hannah are buried in the Old Winslow Burying Ground in Marshfield, MA. This cemetery was founded in approximately 1650; a meeting house with a thatched roof was originally built on the site in 1641.
Bumpas was born in England but most likely of French descent. He and Hannah died in 1693.
The exact location of their graves have been lost although several ancestry websites probably mistakenly list a plot of four stones arranged in a square as the site of the Bumpas family plot. See our photographs below. According to the Marshfield Historical Society Edward Bumpas at one time lived somewhere on what is now Colby Hewitt Lane in Marshfield. He owned around 20 acres from 1628 until about 1634 where he built a home and a smaller cottage. This elevated section of land offers excellent views overlooking the surrounding marsh lands.
A small body of water, named in his honor (Bump’s Pond) is located on private state owned property about 45 minutes driving south of the cemetery. Another site donated by a descendant Dr. Hermon Bumpus in 1946 to the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society, is now known as Bumpus Park. It is located on site of a former wharf and across from Dr. Bumpus’s former residence, the King Caesar House. The park is sometimes used by fisherman during appropriate tides.
Those interested in further reading about Marshfield and its early citizens including the Bumpas family can reference, Memorials of Marshfield by Marcia Abiah Thomas, Marshfield, a town of villages, 1640-1990 by Betty Magoun Krussell and Cynthia Hagar & Bates, History of Marshfield by Lysander Salmon Richards or if you can find it, The Story of the Bumpas Family compiled by Mootie Clemmons Cherry.
Additional reading about the pilgrims’ early arrivals is described in the book, Mourt’s Relation, written primarily by Edward Winslow between 1620 and 1621 and published in 1622.
The 2022 Fortune 1621 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. This wine is deep ruby in color; the fruity and fun bouquet wastes no time in expressing its playful character. It offers scents of ripe Santa Rosa plum, blackberry preserves, dark cherry, dark raspberry, boysenberry jam, mulberry and dark licorice with notes of cinnamon stick, clove, vanilla and a light touch of toasted oak. Bright and juicy but also ripe, the palate delivers flavors of satsuma plum, blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry. The grainy tannins linger with a dark and savory character on the finish including crushed peppercorn. Its texture, including a drying character, outlasts the fruit on the finish. This wine clearly over delivers for the price point. And it is versatile enough, we could see pairing it with ravioli or steak on the BBQ. It was fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged for 18 months in 85% French oak (15% new) and 15% new American oak barrels.
Bumpus Park, Duxbury MA
Old Winslow Burying Ground MA, site of Bumpas Family Plot
Colby Hewitt Lane, site of Bumpas Home, Marshfield MA
Plymouth Rock, MA
Marshfield Historical Society Museum
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In 2017 Darms Lane hired one of California’s most prominent and revered label designers, Chuck House to redesign their wine labels. In our humble opinion, Chuck House of Icon Design Group, along with Pate International, and Vanderbyl are the top three contemporary wine and design companies used by premium Napa Valley based winery and producers.
Darms Lane is currently distributed in Texas and Oklahoma (family connections) as well as parts of California. You can find their wine locally sometimes at Bottega Restaurant in Yountville and Backroom Wines in downtown Napa. Current production is around 3,000 cases annually. They sell direct including some of their library wines. For more information or to join their wine club, visit their website at: www.darmslanewine.com
Darms Lane Vineyard
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