2022 Terra Solis Vineyard, Visit and 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon “CABi”
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The Visit
Photo of Frank from Facebook winery site
I was invited to find out what Terra Solis Vineyard was all about from owner Frank Bishop. Frank purchased the 6.3 acre boutique vineyards in 2018. It is located in Coombsville AVA of Napa Valley. Coombsville while often “unheralded” has been the go to for many established wineries for years.
Map courtesy of Vinous (www.vinous.com) on the Coombsville AVA. They also offer other maps.
The map compiled from Antonio Galloni’s vineyards of California series. Top rated wineries like Arrow & Branch, Bennett, Far Niente, Faust, Konsgaard, Meteor, Paul Hobbs, Silverado and one of my favorites Shadybrook Estate produce wines from Coombsville vineyard grapes. The Coombsville AVA is surround by Mt George to the northeast & Vaca Mountain foothills to the southeast and the City of Napa to the west. On the south they basically abut up to San Pablo Bay. The mild climate being moderated by afternoon winds coming off the bay provide some unique features to the property. First is the reduction of heat spikes, second is the cooler climate which allows a longer hang time allowing the grapes to grow slowly and evenly. The results are displayed in developing a complex character while preserving acidity.
Map courtesy of Vinous (www.vinous.com) on the Coombsville AVA. They also offer other maps.
The map from Vinous and Antonio Galloni details the various soils of Coombsville that have traditionally been thought of as simply “red, rocky and volcanic soils” but the above map shows the complexity of the AVA. The AVA is far from a simple one size fits all with grape varieties varying pending soil conditions, wind, climate, etc.
Frank is currently Vice President, Secretary and Board member of the Coombsville AVA and is committed to promote this often overlooked and underappreciated area.
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Terra Solis Vineyard has produced a few small lots of wine since 2018 and has sold most his grapes to well-known wine producers around Napa Valley and beyond. Currently he is producing around 50 cases of wine which is less than 1% of the grapes grown on the estate.
The Terra Solis Vineyard was planted with 100% clone 337 grapes in 1997 by Andrew and Walter Noble. The vineyard is planted in European style with six distinct vineyard blocks being 5’ x 4’ row spacing.
The Winemaker
Frank recently hired legendary Jean Hoefliger as his winemaker. Currently Jean works for about 28 different brands located in Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Texas, Italy and Spain. He started off working in Bordeaux and South Africa at wineries Chateau Lynch-Bages, Carbonnieux and Meerlust. After that he spent 5 years as winemaker at Newton and then setting up Alpha Omega.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The 2021 is his current release. Frank provided me a bottle of this 2022 which will be released next year. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and only 50 cases being produced. This wine has not been rated but his 2021 was given 95 points by Lisa Perotti-Brown (The Wine Independent). The wine is 100% barrel fermented in 80% new French oak and 20% used. The wine was aged 22 months.
First on the eyes a dark brooding and luscious color with medium-heavy viscosity. Most likely from extended maceration per the winemaker. On the nose fragrant garden flowers of roses and lavender waft into the senses. On the palate, sweet raspberry and blackberries swirl happily in the mouth. The finish was provided strong edgy and gripping tannins with a hint of leather. Key is its ability to age and mature in the bottle with this profile. Unfortunately without a long history of previous vintages it is only an opinion. The youthfulness of this vintage comes across but believe structure and multi-layer dimensions will quickly appear. The wine will sell for $165/bottle and has 14.1% alcohol.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The wine was chosen to go with seared (1500 degree) BBQ’ed prime ribeye steak. Served with crumbled Danablu blue cheese. Accompanied by a Yukon Gold potato and halved sautéed Brussel sprouts, drizzled with a Balsamic reduction. The tannins handled the meat perfectly engulfing each bite.
I personally have been a big fan of Coombsville AVA for some time as many solid grapes grown and wines being produced from here. If you haven’t had a chance to enjoy wines from this tucked away area, here is a good example.
Sláinte,
Michael