When Alejandro Bulgheroni set his sights on the Napa Valley, he brought along his decades of experience as a businessman in Argentina. But his passion for wine began when walking on a rocky hillside on a ranch in Uruguay. He sensed a magical quality about the site and wanted to give that land a more meaningful purpose. Despite grapes having never being planted in the region, he planted his first five vineyard blocks and launched Bodega Garzón in Uruguay, his opening venture into the wine business. A lifelong rancher, Alejandro quickly developed an interest in the profound connection between wine and land. Ever since, he has been an innovator in the wine industry on the global scale creating and nurturing sustainable wine projects in Uruguay, Argentina, Australia, Tuscany and beginning in 2014, Napa Valley with the creation of Alejandro Bulgheroni Estate; all being emblematic of their terroir. The Alejandro Bulgheroni Estate sits just south of Meadowood and Bill Harlan’s Napa Valley Reserve in Saint Helena. In 1975, under the ownership of Jim & Nena Talcott, the first grapes were planted, and a charming stone winery was built. The property then served as the ‘Founder’s Room’ for Bill Harlan’s portfolio of wines and where Harlan’s Napa Valley Reserve wines were first produced. Today, after transforming the property through winery renovations, vineyard replanting’s (spearheaded by Vineyard Manager, Jim Barbour), and the addition of caves for barrel aging, Bulgheroni has established this estate as one of the most prestigious in all of Napa Valley. His dream team consists of Jim Barbour, Philippe Melka, Michel Rolland and day-to-day Winemaker, Matt Sands.
Lithology is the name given to this bottling, which means “the study of terroir”. It is one of a 3-part series focusing on Napa’s most acclaimed vineyards and we are thrilled to be able share each one with you over the coming sequential months. The first offering comes to you from the legendary Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard in Saint Helena. Only a handful of wineries have the privilege of receiving this special fruit. Originally planted in 1858 by Napa pioneer Dr. George Belden Crane, a large portion of this vineyard was purchased in 1997 and replanted in 1998 to Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc by renowned grape grower, Andy Beckstoffer. With extremely well-drained, gravelly soils, Dr. Crane has everything a well-trained vintner will look for -- minerality, complexity, excellent fruit definition, and good tannin structure, all of which makes for incredibly refined wines with many layers. It has proven to be one of the finest vineyard sites in Saint Helena and you can taste every nuance in this wine.
The blend is composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. The wine opens with an intense bouquet of plums, cocoa nib, baking spice, floral notes and pencil shavings. The palate is broad yet concentrated with layers of black cherry, black currants, violets, pipe tobacco, sweet earth and cassis. Balanced to perfection with lively acidity and soft tannins. Just 77 cases produced!
