OUR SMALL PRODUCTION WINES ARE HAND CRAFTED FROM CLASSIC VARIETALS FROM ANCIENT VINES.
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
These blocks are composed of the oldest vines of this particular variety on the property – and many believe in Napa Valley – and represent St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon in its purest form.
Like many older Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in Napa valley, the vines faced the bulldozer a few years back due to the decline in the amount of fruit they produced. However, Jack and I agreed that regardless of the limited yield, these vines were by far the most concentrated and balanced of their peers. So, we saved them and they now provide the foundation for Varozza Vineyards stunning Cabernet.
The berries are the size of a blueberry, at best. The skins are thick and tough, and loaded with color and tannin. The flavor they produce lends toward a rustic, earth driven wine with undercurrents of very black fruit. The tannins are incredibly well structured, but integrate into the wine with such finesse you would think it was made of silk.
Petit Sirah
The solitary block of old vine Petite Sirah on the property is the only varietal the Varozzas keep just for themselves. Every other winemaker yearns to get their hands on this block, but the family stands firm on their dedication to being the only ones to produce it.
These are the oldest remaining vines on the property and, by far, my favorite. I call these vines my steadfast soldiers, head trained with no trellising. They grow independent of every other vine in the block and keep making the most beautiful fruit year in and year out, 60 plus years past their original planting. Their age gives the fruit incredible depth of color, concentration, and a bounty of tannins.
Petite Sirah can be a beast of a big wine, but with love and a gentle hand, we manage to coax that giant into a silky and sultry rendition of one of Napa’s original varietals.
Sauvignon Blanc
These blocks are composed of the oldest vines of this particular variety on the property – and many believe in Napa Valley – and represent St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon in its purest form.
Like many older Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in Napa valley, the vines faced the bulldozer a few years back due to the decline in the amount of fruit they produced. However, Jack and I agreed that regardless of the limited yield, these vines were by far the most concentrated and balanced of their peers. So, we saved them and they now provide the foundation for Varozza Vineyards stunning Cabernet.
The berries are the size of a blueberry, at best. The skins are thick and tough, and loaded with color and tannin. The flavor they produce lends toward a rustic, earth driven wine with undercurrents of very black fruit. The tannins are incredibly well structured, but integrate into the wine with such finesse you would think it was made of silk.
Late Harvest Chardonnay
Never in the history of these vines has a late harvest wine ever been produced. It was the extraordinary quality and yield of the 2013 vintage that convinced me to buck history and go for the gusto.
The warm climate, estate Chardonnay fruit for still wine production is usually very classic in nature, driven by apple and pineapple characters. In crafting it into a dessert wine, I did not want to replicate anything made anywhere else, but rather let this special fruit from this amazing site near the Napa River really shine.
The result is an elegant wine with moderate sweetness, plenty of life, and not too cloying with an engaging combination of apple cider spice, vibrancy, balance and lift on the palate. Perfect for dessert all by itself or paired with a fruit based pastry at the end of a meal.
