Paloma, Napa Valley, Fall 2002 Report

Its fall 2002, and this year’s Napa Valley harvest is nearly at an end. At nine o’clock on a Tuesday I’m getting a delicious muffin and a cup of coffee at my favorite Yountville café, Gordons. I’m going to need the fuel for the long and windy road up into the Mayacaymus’s to Spring Mountain. I have an appointment to interview the Richard’s who own Paloma Vineyards. As I start my climb up Spring Mountain to see them I’m anticipating the visit and I’m hoping to see Jim and Barbara in action with crush.

When I arrived at the address I turned onto a dusty windy driveway that rose up further to the winery. I walked up to a rustic house, which is right next door to the small winery and I knock on the door but get no answer. After a few minutes I walk around the house and am exposed to the majestic view of the Napa Valley from Mount St. Helena to Yountville. I decide to take a walk out into the lush vineyards and see what I can find. Harvest is in full swing at Paloma, I see the workers in the fields bringing in the fruit. I go across the vineyard to the small winery. Here I find Mr. Richards covered with grapes and his arm shoulder deep in a crusher full of Merlot. He and his assistant were processing tons of grapes. Mr. Richards apologizes for not meeting me at the door and informs me that Mrs. Richards had to go to town and pickup more two ton bins for their individual lot fermentation’s. He informs me that this year they will harvest over 25 different times. "The sugars are there, but we go on how the grapes tastes, and each acre ripens differently," he says. I’m thinking to myself how amazing it is that they pay as much attention to detail as they do. After talking for a while and starting to understand their intricate process of separate fermentation’s, which will be aged in French Oak and carefully blended later, Mrs. Richards arrives.

She parks the pickup truck, with the bins in the back. The hard working Mrs. Richards probably loaded the heavy bins herself. She gets out and greets me with a smile, and invites me up to the house, so we can talk while looking over the vines and the Valley. But, first we say hi to their little furry Australian shepherd Aussie. "We do all the vineyard work together Aussie and me," she says ", he loves to follow me around wherever I go on the property." After petting Aussie we step out onto the wrap around porch and just soak in their amazing view. While we talk, a few humming birds decide to buzz by and have a drink at her feeders. I’ve never experienced a humming bird up that close, we don’t get humming birds back where I’m from in Delaware. She points to the worker in the field and tells me that her girls are hard at work and that they will be picking through the weekend. I tell her that I’ve never heard of wineries using woman to harvest. She informs me that they can’t carry as much as the men, however, they are more careful and detail oriented. She say’s that they had to let the fruit hang longer this year so they could get the desired tastes, and the girls will pick only the good bunches of grapes. This way they don’t have to sift before crushing. I’m thinking no brix for these people, it’s all about the feel. And you can certainly get it when you visit this special place high above the valley.

After retiring Jim and Barbara Richards purchased their 17 acre site 2,000 feet above the Napa Valley floor in 1983 and then in 1985 they planted small quantities of Syrah, Cabernet, and their baby, "Merlot." Over the years the Richards have personally farmed their entire property. Mrs. Richards excitedly explains that every year she single-handedly starts pruning the 10,000 vines in February so that they will be ready for budbreak months later. Initially they sold their fruit to various wineries, including the prestigious Pride Mountain Vineyards, which was used in their blockbuster Merlot. In 1995 they decided to have a go at the wine business and Paloma Vineyards was created. In the beginning the wine was made at Pride Mountain with the help of legendary wine maker Bob Foley. In 1999 they built a small winery on their property where Mr. Richards now makes his wine with little assistance. Now they are producing over 2,000 cases, and every year they are critically acclaimed.

After a great visit I say good bye to the Richards and as always I regretfully leave. Walking back to the car I pause for a moment to just feel present, while absorbing the view I take one more look around and wave good bye.

Paloma Merlot is a wine that has been nurtured from its first planting and continues today. It is about hard work and love. It is about a slow move of the seasons with a perfect combination of nature and art. It is about caring and believing in what you do with a passion that almost makes work seem effortless. It is about beautiful vistas and very special people and a dog. All you need to do is taste the wine and you’ll understand.

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Article written by Mark Fogs who can be found most evenings behind the bar at the popular downtown Napa restaurant, www.zuzunapa.com
Make sure you tell Mark you saw his article on DrinkWine.com!