2008-07-11
Tasting Room of the Week:
MONTICELLO VINEYARDS
Fruit of the Corley Family’s
Passion for Fine Wine
by Nan Reiley
One of the very few criticisms that can be leveled at Napa Valley is that it is often congested and trafficky on weekends and in peak touring season. But you’d never know that at the Corley family’s Monticello Vineyards, located just north of the town of Napa. As you drive down Oak Knoll Avenue, lined with shady, massive pillars of mature walnut trees, you’ll see only a swath of vineyards and the red rock pinnacles of the eastern valley hills. Turning onto Big Ranch Road, you’ll approach Monticello Vineyards, the Corley family winery which is, appropriately, surrounded by its own estate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Franc vineyards. It’s a perfect setting to relax and focus your attention on tasting the fine wine made by the Corleys.
Patriarch Jay Corley founded Monticello Vineyards in 1969 with the aim of growing and selling grapes to his prestigious winemaking neighbors in Napa Valley. But of course, they made such good wine from his grapes that the urge to try making wine himself was irresistible. He hired a winemaker and produced the first vintage under his own label in 1980. In the years that followed, his three sons reached adulthood and became willing and able to carry on the family business. Today, Kevin grows the grapes, Chris makes the wine and Stephen is in charge of marketing and sales. The family owns about 100 acres of vineyards in Napa Valley, which provide all the grapes for their enterprise, giving them ultimate quality control over the wine. The family is perfectly happy to maintain a small case production to ensure the highest quality standards. As Stephen says, “Bigger is not better: better is better.”
You can put the family’s quality standards to the test yourself in the small, friendly tasting room, reached by a short walk across shaded lawns dotted with picnic tables.
The Corleys make Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc under three different designations, Monticello Vineyards (with some national distribution) and Corley and Corley Reserve (generally available only at the winery and to wine club members). Even though a wide selection of wine is available for tasting, you can call ahead and make arrangements for a special, private tasting of reserve wines, library wines, barrel samples or blending components. This is a unique opportunity to delve into the heart of winemaking with a Corley family member who knows all about it. (These tastings are held in the Jefferson House, an “almost” replica of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia home, Monticello, and a nod to the Virginia farming heritage of the Corley family.)
Of special interest in the tasting room is the 2004 Corley State Lane Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s the first vintage of this wine, available only here at the winery. It has all of the Corley family wine style elements – finesse and balance – but it’s also a powerhouse wine, bursting with blackberry flavors and undertones of dark chocolate and coffee. ($58)
Or try the 2005 Monticello Vineyards Jefferson Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a very food-friendly wine blended from several different vineyards, bright fruit, spice and vanilla and smooth tannins. ($38)
The tasting room is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on major holidays and for some special events. Check out the excellent website for directions and to make reservations for a private tasting. You’ll find it at www.corleyfamilynapavalley.com.
The winery’s address is 4242 Big Ranch Road, just north of the town of Napa, near Hwy. 29. For more information, call (707) 253-2802, ext. 18.
Related Information
|
