Top wines from the Coombsville AVA
Cathy Huyghe visits Coombsville, in the southeast of Napa Valley, established as an AVA in January 2012, where the climate makes it ideal for Bordeaux varieties...
Here in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley and just outside the historic town of Napa, maps dating back to the 1880s were already delineating Coombs family plots. A hundred years later, in 1980, the grape farmers of Coombsville were just starting to find their way. About 16ha of vines were planted: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
John Caldwell, with what was then simple logic that in hindsight we might now consider savvy prescience, ran temperature tests that indicated the area was actually warmer than Bordeaux. So that’s what he planted at Caldwell Vineyard – the five Bordeaux varieties, plus Carmenère, Tannat and Syrah – establishing the model other producers follow to this day.
There’s a blue streak running through all of the Coombsville wines which is, for me, the most distinctive feature of wines from this region: more blueberry than cherry, and more blackberry than strawberry, with an undercurrent of cinnamon and cocoa spices.
The soft tannin structure, unique to Coombsville fruit, can be attributed to the hang-time, which is the longest of any appellation in Napa. The soils help too: Coombsville is known for its uniform pattern of soils – mostly alluvial slopes of well drained volcanic rock – throughout the designation.
Coombsville has long been considered a prized source for Napa fruit, especially Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, but now it has both the designation and recognition of its own.
Top wines from the Coombsville AVA:
Realm Cellars, Farella Vineyard, Napa Valley, Coombsville, California, USA, 2016
After over a decade of vinifying fruit from the Farella Vineyard in Coombsville, Realm now owns a portion of its vines and is bottling it as an Estate wine. This is the most pretty and understated bottling in the portfolio, and a particular favourite of mine. Energetic raspberry, cranberry and graphite notes fill the nose, while the palate is a combination of weightless dark fruits and a fine, chalky texture. There's a precise, granular structure to the tannins that float the wine through its finish. 400 cases made.
2016
Realm CellarsNapa Valley
Moone-Tsai, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2016
Moone Tsai is known for its commitment to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, focussing on site-specific bottlings and delivering consistency and elegance. In this 2016 Napa Valley release, legendary winemaker Philippe Melka has crafted a muscular and compelling wine utilising the Caldwell Vineyard in Coombsville as a core - which brings energy and mineral notes due to its volcanic soils - combined with St Helena and Howell Mountain fruit for roundness. The result is a complex and expressive wine screaming with red rose and violet aromas, delivering flavours of freshly roasted espresso with blue and red fruits, and a generous tannic structure.
2016
Moone-TsaiNapa Valley
Di Costanzo, Farella Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Coombsville, California, USA, 2016
Vintner Massimo Di Costanzo is well acquainted with the iconic Farella Vineyard, tucked away in the Coombsville AVA. 30-year-old vines on layers of volcanic soil combine with favourable notes of the vintage to create a vivid Cabernet Sauvignon. This savoury wine explodes with soft red berries and hints of rosemary and incense, rounded out with a freshly shaved pencil aroma and velvety tannins. Elegant and finessed.
2016
Di CostanzoNapa Valley
Di Costanzo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Coombsville, California, USA, 2013
Notes of black cherry, menthol, cedar and subtle clove introduce a brooding, layered wine, framed by a chassis of fine but firm tannins. Massimo Di Costanzo, formerly of Screaming Eagle, produces this wine from the Farella vineyard in Coombsville, Napa's newest AVA. It's bursting with earthy complexity and character.
2013
Di CostanzoNapa Valley
Arnot-Roberts, Chardonnay, Napa Valley, Coombsville, California, USA, 2016
Duncan Myers Arnot and Nathan Lee Roberts are childhood friends who identified great vineyards to source fruit from while on mountain biking trips across California. From vineyards located towards the southern end of Napa, this wine exhibits lean and tight lemon pith, with a mineral and saline palate that is focused with a touch of well integrated oak.
2016
Arnot-RobertsNapa Valley
Realm Cellars, The Bard, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2014
The Bard is one of Realm’s 'proprietary blends', paying tribute to both the Left Bank of Bordeaux and the Napa Valley. Comprised of 30-40 separate parcels stretching from Coombsville to Calistoga, it's always Cabernet Sauvignon-driven and around 2,500 cases are produced. The nose is equal parts powerful and floral, with notes of lavender and oiled leather. Ripe blackberries coat the palate and give way to lifted red fruit notes.
2014
Realm CellarsNapa Valley
Di Costanzo, Farella Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Coombsville, California, USA, 2013
Long and savoury, with powerful, complex, mineral flavours and rich blackcurrant fruit. It has the super-fine tannins you can find in Coombsville. The AVA’s cool temperatures, often 10˚F less than Calistoga, contribute to its complexity.
2013
Di CostanzoNapa Valley
Realm Cellars, Farella Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Coombsville, California, USA, 2015
Realm Cellars is the former Hartwell Vineyards, with new owners and a revitalisation programme, yet winemaker Benoit Touquette remains. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Coombsville AVA shows flavours of cool blue fruit, savoury balsam and sandalwood, with fabulous acid structure and a lingering finish. 80% new French oak.
2015
Realm CellarsNapa Valley
Silverado Vineyards, Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2009
In this very ripe vintage, Napa received way less rainfall than usual and harvest ended on 12 October. In 2007, the winery abandoned using purchased grapes, and the 2009 reverts to a blend of roughly equal amounts of Silverado (Stags Leap) and Mt. George (Coombsville) vineyards, with 5% also from Oakville Station, a University of California at Davis research vineyard that Silverado helps farm. This wine tends toward the ripe, concentrated Napa style, and was aged in more new oak than in the past. Yet it also has an old-school purity, with aromas of dried herbs and flavours of blackberry, mint and chocolate, accompanied by a super-smooth texture.
2009
Silverado VineyardsNapa Valley
