Joy and had the opportunity to tasting through the range of wines from Napa producer Canard Vineyard. Hosted by Hall’s Chophouse, close to our home in Summerville, South Carolina, this was our first wine tasting at this venue.
Canard Vineyard’s managing director, Adam Fox, provided us with excellent insight regarding both the wines and the winery.
Canard was created in 1983 when Rich and Carolyn Czapleski, who were initially searching for a Napa ‘weekend getaway’, stumbled across nearly 25 acres of vines near the town of Calistoga on the Silverado Trail. The house was built in 1859 on the property quickly became “the center of social activity in the area” through the late 19th century. It was the originally the home of Reason P. Tucker, noted for leading the “efforts to rescue the survivors of the ill fated Donnor Party”.
They soon discovered that their new getaway was planted with some very old vines, but they did not seem ideal for the production of commercially viable wine. Those old vineyards had been planted to Zinfandel (very popular for its easy management, and high yields) nearly 140 years ago. These vines had been ‘dry farmed’. They were tilled in the spring and whatever moisture was produced by virtue of the tilling is all the grapes subsist on until harvest. Vines that struggle produce deeply flavored and hued wines. This is particularly true of Zinfandel. Unfortunately, these old vines produce very little wine.
The Canard ‘old vine Zins produced actually produced very few grapes…less than two tons per acre. The old vines looked ‘gnarly’ (but…old Zin vines are supposed to look gnarly). The new owners considered ripping out the six acres of old vines and replanting with far more profitable Cabernet Sauvignon. Robert Mondavi and Joe Heitz, two of the Napa Valley’s pioneers, stopped by to chat. Mondavi and Heitz strongly recommended that they not remove the Zin vines…and the new owners did not. “There was only one other commercially producing Napa vineyard with vines dating to the 1880s”. The Canard vines, according to Mondavi and Heitz, were intrinsic to the heritage of Napa. A deeper discussion of ‘Old Vine Zins’ is on the list of future posts.
The remainder of the Canard’s acres are planted to traditional Bordeaux blending grapes.
All Canard vines are sustainably farmed. A sustainable approach “focuses on producing long-term crops while having a minimal effect on the environment. The process also focuses on maintaining economic stability of farms and helping farmers improve their techniques and quality of life”.
We had an opportunity to taste their 2018 Estate Zinfandel. Elegant and deep in color, it is one of the finest Zins we have ever had the opportunity to experience. We enjoyed a bottle of their 100% Estate Cabernet with dinner…equally deep in color and flavor. Both wines offer substantial tannins that will soften in the glass.
Canard’s first Zins were the work of California legend Joel Petersen. Petersen took Sonoma’s Ravenswood from 6,000 to 100,000 cases, but he is equally comfortable working in a boutique setting. Petersen and the Czapleski’s determined that a blend of very ripe and ‘not so quite ripe’ grapes (not picked at the same time) was ideal for their blend. The result is a reduction in alcohol and an increase in complexity…they were right with the first vintage…the process continues to current vintages.
There are only 3,200 cases of Canard wines produced each vintage, and they are not widely distributed. Managing Director, and tasting director, Adam Fox also determines where the approximately 1,600 cases not sold through their club membership will ultimately reside. You will find Canard wines in Florida, the ski regions of the American west, and now in all of Hall’s Chophouse locations. The restaurant charge per bottle is likely to be north of $100. However, if you can find them in a retail setting, the price will be substantially south of $100. A future blog post will also discuss the nature of retail and restaurant wine pricing.
Hall’s Chophouse is planning two wines events each month (dinner or tasting). The Canard tasting was offered at no cost but did require a reservation. Join the Hall’s email list for updates on events.
These are expensive wines…but they are very well made, unique, and worth the price.
As an alternative, and much less expensive, red blend consider the Komodo Dragon Red. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah blend offers deep color, a pleasant mouth-feel, a touch of sweet spice, and a lingering finish. You should be able to find this one nationally for less than $20.