VineBuzz

As William Jarvis explored his estate (in an elevated, rolling terrain of the Napa Valley section in the Wild Horse Valley AVA) during the early 1980's, he took interest in excavating a steep hillside. With little variation in temperature year-round, and an ideal air moisture, Mr. Jarvis discovered the ideal location for the Jarvis Winery.

With advice from geo-technical engineers at UC Berkeley, it was determined that a hub-and-spoke network of long, wide, and tall caverns could be built to withstand the tests of time. During the construction of this 45-thousand square foot cave, underground springs emerged, which were then channeled into streams. They also uncovered a waterfall.
The winery itself contains both rare and custom designed equipment, supported by an outstanding group of winemakers. On my visit yesterday afternoon, 8/4/2010, I was introduced to their chief winemaking consultant, world-renown winemaker Dimitri Tchelistcheff . Spaces are still available to enroll oneself in their Associate Vintners Program, where one call learn the craft from the best.

A mere 37 of 1320 acres on the estate are cultivated vineyards, a most enviable ratio for sustainability, to which a rich variety and volume of wildlife attest. The wealth of lakes, streams, forests, meadows, and all of the creatures that these elements support is as important to making great wine as is the generous 11 feet between rows and 7 feet between vines afforded in the vineyards. Next time, I'll come in the morning to see these vineyards in some detail.