Established as an AVA (American Viticulture Area) in
1993, Spring Mountain was described 25 years ago by a prominent wine writer as
"probably more responsible than any other Napa hillside for creating the
mystique of mountain grapes.'' Due to the rough and varied terrain,
vineyards are small and planted to a patchwork of microclimates and soils. In 1999, Vintner Wesley Steffens' family
bought a 40-acre property on Spring Mountain with just a few acres of
established vineyards (planted by Ric
Forman and David Abreu). Today, perched up on Spring Mountain, sitting
just above 2000 feet elevation, their esteemed estate, Vineyard 7 & 8, focuses
only on small production Chardonnay and Cabernet made by Wesley and the highly
regarded Martha McClellan (formerly
of Harlan, and current winemaker for
a collection of other cult status wines including, Levy & McClellan, Sloan,
and Checkerboard.
Chardonnay is not a varietal that first comes to mind
when discussing hillside vineyards in Napa but Spring Mountain has a handful of
growers making exceptional, world class, and age-worthy Chardonnays (Stony
Hill, School House, and Spring Mountain Vineyards to name some others). Spring Mountain sees more cooling coastal
influences than other hillside properties around the valley (Howell Mountain
and Pritchard Hill where you hardly see any Chardonnay vineyards) and is
typically above the fog line. Growing
conditions are unique in that in the summer, the warmest parts of the day are
usually in the mornings, becoming much cooler by late afternoon due to cooling
ocean breezes creeping over the mountain from the west and then warming up a
bit at night as the cooler air descends to the valley floor. The reduced temperatures result in a longer,
slower growing season allowing the grapes to have mature, intense complexities
while still maintaining great acidity and freshness. We absolutely love Chardonnays coming from
Spring Mountain vineyards for this reason.
"The 2017 Estate Chardonnay brings forth a truly classic
vintage from the mountain top, expressing all the elements we feel make this
estate an incredible location to grow age-worthy, world class Chardonnays.
Harvested in mid-September, and aged for nearly 16-months before bottling, the
2017 shows notes of pear galette with almond cream, and pineapple brulée. The focused minerality and lingering stone
fruit notes are highlighted by white flower and blossoms. A great creamy
texture and full-bodied wine finishes with focus and freshness." ~Martha McClellan, Winemaker
