Winemaker Profile: Casa Nuestra Winery

ALLEN PRICE

by Charles Neave
This might be one of the best (perhaps the only) winery in all the Napa Valley that could include the term “counterculture” in its’ description. “Laid back” would be another couple of words that would fit quite well. Gene Kirkham, owner, founder and the self-described “happy farmer” of Casa Nuestra Winery (“our house” in Spanish) would be comfortable with any of those descriptions.
Yet their wine, the Chenin Blanc, was served at the Ronald Reagan White House; perhaps then President Reagan did not know that the words “Capitalism with a conscience” and “Embrace Peace” appear on this small Napa Valley winery’s mission statement. It is all part and parcel of what makes a visit to Casa Nuestra such a fascinating experience.
The man behind the wine making end of this adventure is Allen Price, whose family has been in St. Helena for four generations. His career in the Valley’s wine business began in the 1960s, when he started working at the venerable Charles Krug winery in St. Helena. A master of the delicate art of creating what is called field blending, he was among the original consultants who oversaw the creation of Casa Nuestra Winery in 1979.
“It [field blending] is actually cofermentation, that is the proper term. We have two blocks where we do that. The one in St. Helena has quite a few varieties in it, and you have the option of leaving out one of the varietals if it gets too far behind in ripening. But normally – usually – they all ripen pretty much at the same time and we make decisions depending on what is happening at that moment.
“Cofermentation is simply fermentation of different varietals altogether. In the Rhône they will even coferment red and white varietals together, to take advantage of the chemical reactions between the two. We do that to a limited degree. Napa Gamay stabilizing Alicante Bouschet, for instance. It’s a hodgepodge, but we’ve learned that it makes pretty good wine.”
Casa Nuestra’s annual production of approximately 1,800 cases comes under Allen’s charge and in addition to making that wine, a full time undertaking in itself, he is also in charge of the vineyards.
“It is all kind of blended together, the winemaking job and my involvement in the vineyards. We have a great vineyard manager, Rigoberto Nava, and I work closely with him since everything here is estate bottled. But Rigoberto literally tends every vine, working with these blocks year after year after year, all year long, and is completely involved in every aspect of the process in the vineyards.”
So how is the wine? Try the Meritage
St. Helena Estate, so reminiscent of the classic St. Emilion wines of Bordeaux. And consider this: they only made 462 cases one year and for Casa Nuestra that was considered record production! The winery makes a limited amount of the Reagan White House-appreciated Chenin Blanc, and only about 200 cases of the Tinto St. Helena Estate, one of those traditional field blends from their 18 planted acres of vineyards along the Silverado Trail.
In addition to these bottlings, Casa Nuestra also makes an off-dry Riesling that is the perfect accompaniment for Asian cuisine, a flavorful Merlot, a Meritage (a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) and a dry Rosado, which is a third Merlot and two-thirds Cabernet Franc (a reversal in percentages from just a few years earlier). They also make a 100% Cabernet Franc that is certainly deserving of a taste and a place in your cellar.
As delightful as the wines at Casa Nuestra are, the entire experience is actually greater than simply the wines. From the Adirondack chairs and well-used picnic tables on the deck and the goats nearby, onto the funky casualness of the tasting room itself, it is a refreshing spot to visit. In some ways they still seem rooted in an earlier era. Not a bad thing, mind you, and in its own way quite refreshing. And Allen Price is doing his part to keep the whole mix – in the field and in the winery – interesting.
The tasting room at Casa Nuestra Winery & Vineyards is open every day of the week except Sunday, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. They are located at 3451 Silverado Trail North near the town of St. Helena. For more information, look them up on the Internet at www.casanuestra.com or give them a call at (707) 963-5783.

Related Information

• Casa Nuestra Winery