December marks a quieter time in the cellar at Somerston Estate at Priest Ranch, the 1682-acre expanse of wildness at the edge of Napa that includes 242 acres of vineyards. Now that the vines have all been relieved of their fruit, the winemaking team, headed up by Director of Viticulture & Winemaking Craig Becker, and Winemaker Cody Hurd, are patiently waiting for malolactic fermentation to finish. Given the extraordinarily cold spring and summer, the season was late upon late.

Becker and Hurd have been stewarding Somerston Estate at Priest Ranch together since 2010, when Becker recruited Hurd from Hall Vineyards, where he’d apprenticed with Steve Leveque. “I told Steve I wanted to study enology at UC Davis and he said, ‘Just ask me lots of questions!’ So I became the most annoying intern ever!’”
Priest Ranch vineyard is planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, with multiple clones of each variety. Each clone is isolated to a specific block, the goal is to ferment each block separately. This makes for a complex set of fermentations, to say the least!  
With the abundance of water from the generous winter of 2022/2023, the vines put forth a healthy crop, even after a later-than-expected start to the growing season. Winemaker Cody Hurd told us, “We’re very fortunate to finally have water! We rely solely on rain to fill up our reservoir, and thankfully, the creeks were still flowing very late into the summer.” This led to huge vine vigor and abundant fruit.
Hurd tells us that the first grapes picked were the Musquee clone of Sauvignon Blanc, which came in at the very end of September. Their last pick was November 9, when they brought in their last lot of Cabernet Sauvignon, from the Deerhound block. Hurd says they were eager to get that fruit in before the threat of rain.
The 2023 crop looks healthy and exceptional. “We had our biggest year ever, which is good,” says Hurd. “It means everything is right where we want it to be. About three tons per acre overall is really just about perfect.”

The Kitchen at Priest Ranch

The fruits of Becker and Hurd’s previous labors can be enjoyed at the newly opened Kitchen at Priest Ranch in Yountville, where Executive Chef Dan Solomon is dishing out his singular creations daily, with a seasonal flair. Enjoy the pan roasted market fish with autumn squash puree, wild mushrooms, root vegetables, bacon, shaved fennel and olive oil. Suggested pairing here is the 2022 Block 71 Sauvignon Blanc, which walks that tiptoe line between citrus and tropical, nicely weaving in notes of ripe grapefruit with lemongrass, chamomille, green melon and pineapple. This non-polarizing style won’t cause a ruckus, and will be ideal as a welcome wine for holiday celebrations. Another solid “go with anything” wine is the 2018 Brut Rosé, and if you prefer something more robust and red, go with the 2019 Double Barrel, a blend of Malbec and Merlot.

Holiday Gifting

While you’re at the tasting room, be sure to check out the great selection of gift items, including the bacon marmalade jam, estate olive oil and logo’d wine growlers that keep an entire bottle of wine properly chilled. There are lovely candles, beautifully embossed wines for holiday gifting, and handsome logo merch. If you can’t get to the tasting room, the website has a wide array of hand-selected gift sets for you to choose from, or you can customize a wine set to your liking.

Courtney Becker, wife of Somerston’s Director of Viticulture & Winemaking, Craig Becker, is an exceedingly talented ceramic artist. You’ll find a selection of her pottery, including small plates, cups and bowls for snacks and condiments, in a variety of warm, inviting colors, like sage and sandstone, olive and indigo. They are as contemplative as they are beautiful, and, solid in their functionality: just like everything else at Priest Ranch.