About Ashe Vineyard
Our Napa Valley estate winery is located on Saint Helena Highway (aka: Highway 29) in the Oakville appellation, which is world renowned as one of the premier locales for growing Bordeaux-style wines. As Wine News magazine describes, “Situated in the heart of Napa Valley, the Oakville District encompasses some of the finest and most remarkable vineyards in the world – the vast majority of which are dedicated to the production of superb Cabernet Sauvignon of impeccable quality and breed.” Our neighbors are some of the most prestigious names in estate winemaking, including Opus One, Far Niente, Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle, PlumpJack, Dalla Valle, and Paradigm. The following map details the location of our property:
The French region of Bordeaux is famed for its rich and complex red wines that blend cabernet sauvignon with varying amounts of cabernet franc, merlot, malbec, and petite verdot. Our red wine program is modeled after that of Bordeaux and consists of two distinct red wines: (i) our signature reserve wine made from 100% cabernet sauvignon grapes that we age for 24-months in new French oak barrels and then 6-months in bottle (the 2006 vintage will be released in the Spring of 2009) and (ii) a claret that we blend from the best of these five wonderfully complementary Bordeaux varietals and age for 18-months in new French oak barrels and then 6-months in bottle (see Our Wines for current availability of our 2005 release).
Bordeaux’s principal white wine is made from the sauvignon blanc grape varietal and in the Graves region of Bordeaux, which serves as the inspiration for our white wine program, is often blended with musque. Consistent with the Graves approach, we produce a Fume Blanc that blends sauvignon blanc with sauvignon musque and is fermented in French oak barrel and aged sur lies. The resulting white wine combines the traditional fruit-forward, crisp acidity of sauvignon blanc with the fullsomeness and structure imparted by French oak—a very special white wine.
In keeping with the importance of terroir, all of the grapes that constitute our wines are estate-grown at Ashe Vineyard--our 35-acre property in Oakville. The property consists of 28-acres of vineyards planted to the major Bordeaux varietals--cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, petite verdot, sauvignon blanc, and sauvignon musque. Importantly, we have 3 different clones/rootstocks of cabernet sauvignon, which gives us great flexibility in producing our wines as each has its own unique characteristics. The diagram above depicts our vineyard layout and reflects the degree to which we design and farm (much like the micro-segmentation in Bordeaux) each block to optimize its distinctive traits in contributing to a particular wine.
As we are big believers that all great wines are made in the vineyard, it is important to note that we have partnered with David Abreu—the leading vineyard manager for practically all of Napa Valley’s cult wines, including Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Staglin, etc.—to ensure that we have the finest fruit for our estate wines. Abreu and his vineyard team are a tremendous asset (and a tremendous expense!) and we believe you’ll immediately recognize the impact of their superior viticultural practices in the wonderful taste, structure, and aromatics of our wines. Enjoy!
