SCHRAMSBERG VINEYARDS, Calistoga, Napa
The history of Schramsberg can be traced back to the 19th century when German immigrant, Jacob Schramm, first made his home and started his winery on Diamond Mountain. But it wasn’t until 1965, when Jack and Jamie Davies would restore the estate, and set about producing sparkling wine, but not any sparkling wine; ‘America’s most prestigious, select and admired sparkling wine; chosen for special guests, special gifts, pampering one’s self and expressing one’s taste in unique products.’ One such guest was China’s Premier, Zhou Enlai, who was served Schramsberg’s Blanc de Blancs in President Nixon’s 1972 ‘Toast to Peace’.
The winemaking team at Schramsberg create spectacular wines every year because of the diversity of their vineyard sites. These vineyards stretch across 140 miles of the Pacific coast from Mendocino’s Anderson Valley in the north, through the Sonoma Coast, Napa Carneros area and into remote sites in west Marin County. In total, there are over 70 different vineyard sites, 155 different blocks within the vineyards, producing over 250 base wines, which are artfully blended together to create Schramsberg’s 12-14 distinctive sparkling wines each year.
The vineyard sites are the key, and each area provides different elements to the final blend. The maritime influence of San Pablo Bay allows for high acid retention in Chardonnay. The cold, remote sites in west Marin County provide low yields and late harvests with intense fruit flavour. Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley have incredible, isolated vineyard sites producing outstanding Pinot Noir. Each year, up to 10% of new sites are on trial, and experimented with to continue finding the next great vineyard that will add to the depth and complexity of the wines. Watch Hugh Davies’ introduction to their vineyard sites: Schramsberg Vineyard Tour with Hugh Davies
Schramsberg Vineyards focuses on producing the finest and most complex handcrafted sparkling wines. The emphasis is on handcrafted. Many of the viticultural and winemaking practices are carried out by hand which include, hand harvested grapes, wines are handcrafted, bottles are stacked and riddled by hand. Unique amongst California sparkling houses, Schramsberg ferments 25% of its juice in oak barrels for a richer, more luscious style. Everything is produced in the traditional ‘Methode Traditionelle’ manner. It is labour-intensive, costly but all Champagne and most high-quality sparkling wines are produced this way.
On top of everything else, Schramsberg is one of the leaders in their commitment to the environment and environmental practices. Founder, Jack Davies, served as chairman of a citizen committee formed in 1967 to support the creation of the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve. His tireless efforts helped shape the heart of Napa’s wine industry. Today, Jack’s son Hugh and his team, have taken his goals further with a solid set of practices and policies that ensures conservation and stewardship of the land set forth by the Napa Green Certified Winery and Land programmes. The list of practices implemented across their vineyards and at the winery is impressive.
