Julien Fayard moved to the Napa Valley in 2006 when he and his wife agreed to settle down by “meeting halfway” between his home in France… and hers in Sonoma. In France, Julien worked in both Provence and Bordeaux, where he 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. Julien is also the winemaker for other exquisite projects like Empreinte, Purlieu, Cultivar, Azur, Le Pich, and Matthew Wallace, but COVERT is his most recent micro-production, luxury Napa project.
This special, single vineyard bottling is coming from the Sage Hill Vineyard in the Pritchard Hill area of Napa Valley, where some of the most coveted wines of Napa derive. This clay and rock-dominated site enjoys full western exposure but cooling air currents from nearby Lake Hennessy that moderate afternoon temperatures allowing maximum phenolic ripeness while maintaining freshness and structure. Pretty much the ideal spot for Cabernet Sauvignon. This coveted vintage from Covert, aged in 100% new French oak for 26 months, has intensely rich black blackberry and cassis aromas that opens into a savory core of plum and dark berry compote. Powerful but polished, the fine-grained tannins provide firm structure and dimension for the luscious fruit. This wine perfectly showcases what Napa Valley hillside vineyards are capable of; a decadent treat that is beautifully balanced. Only 85 cases produced.
