Paloma Vineyard

Paloma Vineyard is located off of Spring Mountain Road on the edge of the Sonoma and Napa County line ranging from about 2,015 to 2,235 feet feet in elevation, usually above the fog which commonly blankets the lower elevations, especially during the growing season. “Paloma” is a Spanish word meaning dove. On clear days the property features spectacular and expansive views of Mt. St. Helena and northern Napa Valley. Jim and Barbara Richards (both deceased) originally began visiting Napa Valley in the late 1970s and soon fell in love with the area to the extent that they decided to purchase property.

They were one of the Spring Mountain “old timers” having purchased this site in 1983 and then soon after planted part of the property to Merlot. Being new to the business at the time (Jim was a geologist who came from the petroleum industry in West Texas), they decided to plant Merlot after trying Merlot from Duckhorn Winery which they both really enjoyed. They sold their grapes for a number of years to both larger wineries on the valley floor and to their neighbor Pride Mountain Vineyards. Today they sell no grapes to other wineries. The first vintage of Paloma was from 1994; for a number of years, their wine was made at Pride Mountain Vineyards (a short drive from the Paloma property) under the tutelage of well-known winemaker Bob Foley. However, they were able to secure permits and build their own small but very functional winery in 2000 and now all wine is made on site. After harvest the grapes have to travel only a few minutes’ drive to the physical winery.

Their focus is on estate grown Merlot (not too many Napa Valley wineries doing this). In addition, the property is also planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and two blocks of Cabernet Franc. They also grow 1/2 acre of Syrah in a heavily terraced part of the property with plans to add more Syrah with replants in the future.

Their Cabernet Sauvignon is always blended into the Merlot wine. Their production is very limited; they sell out every year and as a result sometimes visitors are only able to sample wine from barrel. Often the production is even more limited then ‘normal’ as Merlot in particular tends to ‘shatter’ during bloom. This results in incomplete pollination due to a variety of factors including strong winds at inopportune times and even heavy fog. Barbara and Jim’s son Sheldon told us that two out of three years they see a significant drop in production as a result of shatter.

Sheldon spent most of his youth in Western Canada eventually starting Keystone Communications, a public relations company which he ran for 15 years. He moved to Napa Valley in 2003 to learn both winemaking and viticulture from his parents.

The small winery is just down from the family home; solar cells on the roof provide 90% of the energy needed to run operations.

A tasting is always with Sheldon who is the vineyard manager and winemaker – among many other roles required of overseeing a small winery and vineyard. His son Caston has recently assumed more of the winemaking duties. A visit here is typically reserved for existing customers or serious wine enthusiasts. Visits are generally for smaller groups; the tastings are informal and highly personal. Reservations are always required.

And those who have visited Paloma before will undoubtedly remember the significant hummingbird population who frequent numerous hummingbird feeders next to their deck. Barbara initially put out just one or two feeders which began to attract birds, then she left them out over the winter and over the years more birds came so more feeders were placed. Today Sheldon puts out 12-16 feeders in the summer months attracting at least 7 species of hummingbirds and at times up to 300 different hummingbirds to the property. The majority of the hummingbirds are on the property between May and October.

The winery site is on top of the ridge accessible via a narrow windy gravel road completely off the beaten path despite being only about a 15 minute drive from downtown St. Helena. The winery is built among Douglas fir trees, the air smells fresh up here especially after spring rainfall. This part of Spring Mountain typically receives snow in the winter, often at least once a year. And the temperatures are generally 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit cooler during the day during the growing season while often warmer at night (due to an inversion layer).

Paloma puts certain practices to work in their vineyard including refraining from tilling their soils, encouraging a diversity of cover crops to grow among the vineyards and allowing animals to seasonally graze on the property.

A lone Zinfandel grape growing in the shade of trees near to the winery dates back decades when this land was originally planted to vineyards. This grapevine was inadvertently covered when gravel was being laid out for their driveway but somehow survived this. It produces several bunches of Zinfandel grapes which every year are put into their Merlot wine for good luck. Finally, Sheldon had to build a fence around this special vine to stop their dogs from eating the fruit.

In regard to the high quality of their wines, there are two factors working in their favor each year, one is the terroir; they are in a superb microclimate for growing Merlot and the other is the great attention to detail that Sheldon gives the vineyards throughout the growing season. This micro-management is also part of the harvest, as they pick numerous times, choosing only the grapes that are ripe at any given time.

A hallmark of their wines is superb balance which is even evident during challenging much cooler years such as 2011. These are approachable wines showing intensities of their mountain site but without the presence of muscular tannins. And they have proven track records of being able to age gracefully.

Select Wines
The Paloma wines are not quick to market; they are generally barrel aged for approximately 18 months and then held back up to 2.5 years in bottle before being released; as a result, current bottlings are often 6 years post vintage date. Their oak program typically involves barrel aging in 30% new French oak barrels.

Merlot
The 2022 Paloma Merlot is medium ruby in color, a lighter color than some of the previous vintages. Brightly lit in terms of aromatics, with oak providing a light but complementary role. This wine smells like red cherry, raspberry, tea leaf, a hint of pipe tobacco and sage. A ripe expression both on the bouquet and the palate, but also balanced with a medium+ acidity, this is a lively expression of both the variety and the challenging vintage in Napa Valley due to the late extreme heat spikes. Typically they are up to 10 degrees cooler than the valley floor. This wine tastes like red cherry, red plums, raspberry, blueberry and a hint of cinnamon stick. The tannins are already well integrated at this age, 4 years post vintage, most likely an expression of a riper vintage. They persist in tandem with the ripe fruit with a lightly gravelly and dusty character. This a crowd pleaser with immediate up front enjoyment.

The 2021 Paloma Merlot is medium to deep ruby; we tasted this 5 years post vintage. The bouquet offers a pretty union of both red fruits and sweet barrel spices. These scents include a minerally component, similar to the smell of chalk, boysenberry, raspberry, red plums, red licorice and cinnamon stick. Shows a youthful intensity of flavor at this age, but like all of the Paloma vintages we have tried, still very much in balance. This wine tastes like red plums, dark raspberry and cherry. The tannins are still youthful, with a gravelly a lightly grainy texture. Their presence coats the palate and persists beyond the fruit on the finish with a lasting dryness. Medium acidity.

The 2019 Paloma Merlot is deep ruby in color; the bouquet is an elegant union of both red fruits, floral notes and some herbal influences. These include red cherry, currants, Santa Rosa plum, Persian black mulberry (fruit we have always especially enjoyed during our visits to middle eastern countries), along with sage, dried thyme, creosote, pipe tobacco, violets, lilacs, dark chocolate and vanilla. We love some of the savory olfactory characteristics that we’ve noted consistently regardless of vintage from the Paloma Merlot. And something about its aromatic profile reminded us of riding a motor scooter two decades ago on the island of Paros passing through the dry landscape in summer with the smell of wild herbs permeating the air. It doesn’t take long for the wine to hit your palate to realize its saddled perfectly on top of a gentle horse. On the palate there are flavors of plum, cherry, dark raspberry, and chocolate with a hint of bay leaf and sage in the background. The highly polished tannins are seamlessly integrated into the fruit filled finish and linger with a light and pleasant dusty character.

The 2018 Paloma Merlot is medium to deep ruby in color; the initial aromatics are a bit moody but blow off with a short time in the glass. The bouquet offers scents of dark raspberry, red cherry, pipe tobacco, cocoa powder, toffee, a light note of old cedar box and dried sage. Fresher at this age than the 2017, this wine is showing in a sweet spot right now. Its flavors include primarily red fruits including raspberry, cherry, Santa Rosa plum – a variety developed by Luther Burbank in Santa Rosa a short 20 minute drive to the west from Paloma Vineyard. The tannins are present, broadly distributed across the palate with a lightly gravelly texture and a finishing dusty, almost chalky note.

The 2017 Paloma Merlot is medium to deep ruby with some light brickish tones at 9 years post vintage; offers loads of still primary fruits, darker toned, this wine smells like dark raspberry, red plums, boysenberry, dark mulberry and some barrel influenced sweetness, i.e., cocoa powder, chocolate and a light note of old cedar box. Intensely flavored but with a noticeable plush and softness due to the highly rounded and resolved tannins, this wine tastes mature fruits, like ripe blackberry, dark plum, dark cherry and a finishing note of sweet tobacco spice and a hint of smoked cedar. The tannins are gentle and seamlessly integrated into the finish, lingering with a light persistent dusty character. Soft is a simple but appropriate descriptor to describe the textural feel here. At this age, this is an easy drinking expression of the variety.

The 2016 Paloma Merlot is dark ruby in color; the bouquet is initially meaty, with aromas of bacon fat, a sweaty baseball mitt taken off after playing the game on a hot summer’s day, spicy plum skin, wild blackberry, chocolate, dried rose petals and hints of anise. Let this wine breathe in the glass; it will evolve wonderfully and continue to open up to more fruit, with its darker savory characteristics becoming more integrated over time. It offers a suppleness across the palate but with intense and concentrated flavors of plum and blackberry, complemented by a subtle richness of dark chocolate. There is plenty of depth here, yet the wine remains very balanced. The darker spices, including pepper, that we have noticed on the finish of their Merlots are clearly evident in this wine. The tannins are earthy, rounded and supple in their textural feel, lingering alongside dark fruit and a persistent savory character.

The 2014 Paloma Merlot is 100% varietal; this was their first ever vintage that was 100% varietal Merlot. This wine is dark ruby in the glass with aromas of sweaty saddle leather, dark plum, bittersweet chocolate, sage and lavender. The palate shows darker fruits including spicy plum, old cedar box, dried herbs and white pepper. Both the bouquet and palate are slightly savory. The finish lingers with dark fruit, dried tobacco leaf and earthy tannins which are fine grained and very well integrated. This wine’s balance and bright acidity are going to carry it many more years.

The 2013 Paloma Merlot is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon; this wine is medium to dark ruby in the glass. The bouquet offers aromas of cherry and berry fruits along with dried herbs and a hint of dried tobacco leaf. One can smell the variety rather than the oak influence from its barrel aging. The flavors are intense and long lasting from start to finish, featuring plum and dark cherry, complemented by a subtle savory character. This wine is extremely well balanced and shows nicely 9 years post vintage at the time of our tasting. Its texture is silky and seamless, with plenty of depth but no harsh edges. The finish is persistent, lingering with refined, fine-grained and supple feeling tannins, along with a continuing richness of dark fruit.

During our first trip to the property and visit with Barbara, we tried a young Merlot (2005) still in the barrel; even at its early age, the Paloma hallmark mouth feel was clearly evident. This wine was already very approachable, with a silky texture, supple tannins and an exceptional balance between fruit, acidity and structure. Their Merlot is almost always blended with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich aromas are always present in their wines; the 2005 Paloma Vineyards shows blackberry, chocolate and mineral nuances, complemented by darker fruit characteristics. There is a richness here, but nothing feels heavy or out of balance. This was one of the wines early on in this project that, when we tasted it, we said, “Wow, this is an ‘it’ wine.”

Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2022 Paloma Cabernet Sauvignon is medium ruby, showing lighter color than previous vintages. The bouquet is bright and lifted, with red fruited aromatics, somewhat surprising considering the warmth and ripeness of the vintage. This wine smells like raspberry jam, cherry pie, boysenberry, figs, rose petals, mocha, espresso and vanilla. The aromatics here are distinctly different than the 2021 vintage. This is a lighter styled expression of the variety, both in terms of flavor and texture. With an accompanying brightness from the lively acidity. This wine tastes like boysenberry, raspberry, blueberry, currant, red cherry and red plums. Finishes with plenty of movement and energy on the finish. The tannins are seamlessly integrated with a light and comforting textural kiss.

In 2023 and in 2024 they blended a small amount of Merlot into the Cabernet Sauvignon, the first ever vintages they have done this.

The 2021 Paloma Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby; the bouquet is a union of both sweetly fruited scents and sweet barrel notes. The wine smells like blackberry pie, boysenberry jam, dark cocoa powder, milk chocolate, and mocha. Superbly balanced at this age, 5 years post vintage, this wine is primarily red fruited with flavors of raspberry, strawberry, plum, boysenberry and cherry and mulberry. The acidity is medium plus. Lingers an earthy character and smoked cedar. The tannins are remarkably well-resolved at 5 years post vintage – persisting gently with a lightly grainy and gravelly character in tandem with the fruit. Both texture and fruit persist on the extended finish. This is crowd friendly mountain expression of the variety.

The 2019 Paloma Cabernet Sauvignon (100% varietal) is deep ruby in color; the bouquet is immediately open-knitted upon opening, revealing loads of fruit including scents of blackberry, dark plum, black cherry, boysenberry and Persian mulberry accompanied by notes of dried herbs, petrichor (the aroma resulting from rain falling on dry earth), tobacco spice, library book, old cedar box and cocoa powder. The bouquet shows more influence from the barrel than on the palate. There is a lot to like about these aromas. On the palate there are flavors of plum, dark raspberry, cherry, blackberry and boysenberry with a light note of dark pepper, tobacco spice and a gentle warmth from its alcohol rounding out the finish. For a mountain grown Cabernet Sauvignon, the tannins are surprisingly supple and rounded, 5 years post vintage at the time of our tasting. This wine was fermented and aged in 100% French oak barrels of which 33% were new. It was bottled after 18 months and then aged another 30 months in bottle prior to release. In terms of pairing, for some reason we thought of our grandfather’s homemade thin-ravioli stuffed with beef, tomatoes and assorted herbs, a dish we used to assist with making in his garage when we were a child.

The 2016 Paloma Cabernet Sauvignon is dark ruby in color; this wine smells like the variety with the oak influence a secondary and complementing character. The bouquet reveals aromas of blackberry and dark cherry along with darker spices, sage and some dried herb notes. The palate offers an intensity of flavor without the heavy handedness of mountain tannins. This is one of the most approachable Cabernet Sauvignon wines we have tried from a Napa Valley higher elevation site. The wine lingers with well-integrated rounded tannins sporting a light grip along with bright acidity and a hint of dried tobacco leaf. One of its hallmarks is clearly its balance.

Cabernet Franc
The Paloma Cabernet Franc. The first Cabernet vines introduced to the property were planted in 2018. We initially thought we were tasting a 2021 vintage of this wine, surprised that Paloma would release such a young wine, but in actuality it was released in 2021 and is a multi-vintage bottling including the years: 2018, 2019, and 2021. It is a blend of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is deep ruby in color; the bouquet offers an aromatic depth, an expression of ripeness, purity of fruit and barrel influence. There are aromas of dark plum, blackberry, cherry and a savory character including of dried herbs, dark olives, crushed dark pepper, dried tobacco leaf and toasted oak. And as it evolves, a note of mocha, vanilla and cinnamon stick are expressed deeper in the aromatics. The palate is fully ripe but not over ripe; there is no greenness sometimes associated with this variety on either the bouquet or the palate. It offers flavors of cherry, plum, dark raspberry, blackberry and dark chocolate. And texturally, if tannins could ice skate, they glide across the palate as smooth and effortlessly as Kristi Yamaguchi performing at the peak of her game in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.

Pomaria
The 2024 Paloma Pomaria is 78% Cabernet Franc and 2% Merlot. This wine is medium ruby in color; spicy with some floral notes including lavender, cinnamon stick, cardamom, chocolate covered cherries, dark raspberries and red plums. Brightly lit across the palate, this wine tastes like red cherry, not fully ripe boysenberry, currant, raspberry and red plums. For reference, we tasted this wine only two years post vintage; some might say this is probably ready to drink now – although the tannins are still tightly woven, with a firm and persistent dusty tug – far outpacing the fruit on the finish. Finishes fresh, savory, and anchored by lively acidity. Pomaria is the Latin root of Pomerol.

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Paloma’s wines have received a number of accolades, press and exposure over the years. Their wines have been served at Presidential dinners in the White House. High ratings from prominent wine critics as well as recognition such as the Wine Spectator in 2003 voting them “wine of the year” have at times swamped this small winery with demand. Sheldon recalls the phones started ringing at 5am the day the 2003 Wine Spectator issue was released and didn’t stop ringing for two months. Their label is silk screened using real gold and is one of 100 labels featured in the book Icon: Art of the Wine Label by Jeffrey Caldewey.

Despite the number of accolades over the years – they have kept their prices remarkably steady which is certainly not always the case when a winery finds glory in numbers, or high scores given from select wine writers and critics.

Total production really varies from year to year, often between 600 to 3,000 cases primarily because growing grapes here is not easy. In more recent years, fires, smoke taint, hail and shatter have all led to much lower yields. Or no yields at all such as in 2020 when their property was surrounded by 100-foot-tall flames from the destructive Glass Fire. After the 2017 fires, Sheldon built a small fire station (Spring Mountain Volunteer Fire Department) on his property stationed with a bright yellow fire truck. Other wineries who provided assistance for this station included Keenan, School House and Terra Valentine.

In 2023 Paloma Vineyard discovered that 3.4 acres of its land are within Sonoma County including part of his physical winery. Paloma requested the county line be shifted slightly so that the entire property would be within Napa County. This adjustment has since been made.

The best way to acquire their wine is to join their mailing list, however one can sometimes find their wine locally at Backroom Wines in downtown Napa. One of their early local retail outlets was Cellar Collections in the city of Napa which unfortunately permanently closed in mid 2024. The wines are also selectively distributed in parts of Alberta, Canada. The majority of their production is sold direct to consumer including through a very limited number of primarily European wine focused cruises. For more information, visit: www.palomavineyard.com