Located in Napa Valley’s Coombsville appellation, Covert Estate is a hidden gem for those who discover it. The limited-production wines are made by Julien Fayard, who originated from France and is one of Napa Valley’s most respected winemakers producing California wine with French finesse. Out of respect for the beautiful surroundings, the winery is nestled in a hillside cave between the vineyard and an oak grove, and is only visible from a bird’s-eye view, perfectly disappearing into the landscape. Covert’s 5-acre estate vineyard is mostly comprised of Bordeaux varietals including Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot on its southern slopes while Syrah is planted on the north-eastern section. The vines are farmed organically and sit on a gentle slope with soil composed of solid volcanic ash from the nearby Mt. George. Cal and Pam Nicholson and Dave and Laura Nestor collectively established Covert Estate with Julien in 2012 based on a shared love for and devotion to terroir-driven wines made with a minimal footprint on the land.
Julien Fayard moved to the Napa Valley in 2006 from France where he worked in both Provence and Bordeaux, and defined his core winemaking style at the exalted first growth Château Lafite-Rothschild (he even lived in Lafite’s grand château for a period) as well as at Smith Haut Lafitte. There, Julien says he learned his attention to detail and how to not excessively intervene in the winery: “If you put in the hard work in the vineyard, you have to trust and have patience; then, on its own, the wine will become all that it is capable of.”
Here in Napa, Julien worked at Quintessa before joining Atelier Melka, where he spent five years as the Director of Winemaking. It was here, working with a variety of clients including Lail Vineyards, Gemstone, Dalla Valle, and more that Julien further developed his winemaking style, while also gaining an intimate understanding of the valley’s vineyards and establishing strong relationships with its many passionate, quality-dedicated growers. Though Julien is also the winemaker for other exquisite projects like Empreinte, Purlieu, Cultivar, Azur, Le Pich, and Matthew Wallace, it is at COVERT where he developed his love for the Coombsville AVA in the south-eastern part of the Napa Valley. Fog is often common in this part of the Napa Valley, blanketing the region in the morning and often lingering until late morning or mid-day. Spikes in temperature tend to be less extreme than in other parts of the valley. His focus is on wines that showcase Napa’s richness of fruit, yet at the same time show balance and versatility. “The grapes here ripen steadily and evenly, making for rich wines with complex nuances,” he said. “We often pick later than vineyards that might be just a few miles away.” All of this leads to incredible structure, richness, complexity and balance of the wine.
This brand new Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon in its debut shows Coombsville’s characteristic structure. Layers of dark, structured aromatics as its cornerstone, blended into the rich and refined style that is Covert’s signature stamp. Julien and his team always hand-harvest the fruit in the cool, early mornings, then send through two laborious rounds of sorting—first as whole clusters, then once again after berries are de-stemmed. After a cold-soak maceration, the fruit is fermented for three to four weeks, to then get pressed gently and transferred into barrel for a secondary malolactic fermentation. Finally, this wine spent 26 months in barrel before being bottled without fining or filtration. Julien’s no. 1 goal is to let the fruit speak for itself, aiming to showcase the terroir of the vineyards!
“This rich, dark Cabernet brings together precision, elegance, structure and depth. The nose blooms with aromas of juicy berries, caramel and currants, with a subtle touch of graphite behind. In the mouth, layers of luscious black and purple fruits unfurl with juicy plum, brûléed boysenberries, spicy notes of clove and anise, and a black, volcanic minerality. Well-knit tannins structure the dense, round texture and carry the long finish through sweet blue fruit and warm, gentle spices.” While we continue to cherish and cellar his single-vineyard Cabernets from the estate, there is always room in each of our collections for stellar weeknight wines that are ready to drink now and completely over deliver filling our hearts with joy and delight!
