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Twenty Twenty-One was another year of drought for Napa with less than half the expected rainfall and consistently warm temperatures a little above the long-term average. This stress on the vines produced a smaller crop than the norm and bunches of small berries with outstanding concentration and intensity, and excellent ageing potential.

This was also the year that the Dominus Estate was awarded CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) certification, to go along with their Napa Green Land and Napa Green Winery accreditations – recognition for their efforts in dry-farming and the sustainable approach they take in all they do.

We have three superb wines to offer from this exceptional vintage, all have immediate appeal, and all are worthy of at least a few years in the cellar, while Dominus is a modern legend in the making and according to Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent) “ A stunning vinous record of our time and place, this is a 50 year+ Napa Cabernet to be experienced across generations.”

Note that due to the early September heatwave of 2022, the estate elected to declassify the whole production and so there will be no releases from the 2022 vintage.

Ridge Vineyards 2022 Vintage Report

Geyserville saw low rainfall which limited yields. A warm summer helped with even ripening but Labor Day brough record-breaking heat which threatened the Zinfandel vines. Picking quickly was vital, day and night, to bring the fruit in ideally ripe.

The vineyards for Three Valleys enjoyed mild temperatures throughout the growing season, allowing the fruit to mature slowly and develop deep fruit flavours for which Sonoma is known.

Lytton Springs had an early spring and mild weather continued through to help with a uniform fruit set. May frosts reduced yield but only affected a few blocks.

Monte Bello experiences a third year of drought, following a pattern of several years of dry, mild winters. A tough vintage although cover crops coped well and this helped with soil health as well as mediating temperatures within the vineyard. Spring was cooler than the norm and there was a little rain in April and May, while the summer was pleasantly warm with cool nights. August however saw some extreme heat, specifically around Labor Day, where much of California saw three straight days of 41°C and little relief through the evenings. Following the heatwave, temperatures cooled, and this helped the vines out of shock but a series of rainstorms that ensued brought further challenges and required patience to eek out a longer growing season. There was an enormous amount of time spent assessing vines and fruit, to be able to pick ideally ripe grapes with the right structure and concentration. Monte Bello is made up of 89 parcels, and for this 2022 release they fermented 135 separate lots – they are quietly excited about the quality despite the hardships, and the difficult vintages always bring a certain satisfaction.

In 1972 Shafer purchased the winery which is located at the north end of the Stag’s Leap District of the Napa Valley, and their first vintage was in 1978. The ethos is small and family orientated, the approach to the wines quite European. They are one of the few wineries to have a proper barrel cellars cut into the hillside behind the winery. In the cellar the only wood is in the barrels, everywhere else stainless steel is used to reduce the incidence of TCA.

The vineyards are managed sustainably, without the need for chemical fertilisers or pesticides, and drip irrigation (common throughout California) is used. Birds of prey are encouraged to help with the gophers. Warm days and cool nights followed by morning fog adds elegance to the wines. 21 acres over 4 sites with a production of about 30,000 cases of wine per annum. They use drip irrigation (used throughout California).