Images Courtesy of Suzanne Becker Bronk
The Oakville AVA is a Napa Valley sub-appellation known for its warm climate on the valley floor, which is well suited to wine production. The Oakville AVA is the location of many famous and historic vineyards, including the historic To Kalon vineyard.
Oakville is located in the heart of Napa Valley. This means it experiences both the heat of the northern reaches and the cooling influence of the Bay’s fog and breezes. Because of this, of the Cabernet-centric valley floor appellations (St. Helena, Rutherford, Oakville), its wines, while ripe and powerful, tend to exhibit remarkable finesse and energy. Furthermore, in the western hillsides where the vines are sheltered from the afternoon sun, the wines tend to be more brooding and mineral rich, while those on the volcanic eastern hills that bask in the afternoon sun are dusty, sanguine, with dried fruit tones.
Oakville’s soils vary considerably. In the east they are rust-red and iron-rich with abundant volcanic material mixed into the gravel and loam. In the center of the valley, the soils are deeper, darker in hue and primarily loam-based. The western edge features the famous gravelly fans that include Martha’s Vineyard and To Kalon. Just above this bench, estates such as Harlan are perched on a mix of sedimentary and volcanic rocks and soils.
The Oakville AVA is located in the north of what was the original Rancho Caymus land grant, awarded to early Napa Valley pioneer George C. Yount in 1836. The land grant consisted of two leagues of land bestowed by Governor Nicolas Gutierrez, with influence from Yount's friend General Mariano Vallejo. As the first major landowner in the area, George Yount had a large influence on how the region would develop and was the first person to plant Mission grapes in the region.
Oakville, the town at the center of the Oakville AVA, started out as a water stop in the 1860's for the Napa Valley Railroad Company. The small village that grew around it supposedly took its name from the numerous dark green valley oaks that existed in the area at the time. In 1868, H.W. Crabb, an early Napa Winemaker, purchased 240 acres of land close to the Napa River and established a winery there, calling it "To Kalon", or "The Highest Beauty" in Greek. By the late 1870's, Crabb was producing over 50,000 gallons of wine per year produced from his 130 acres of planted vines.
Today the Oakville AVA has over 5000 acres of land planted to grapevines, with over 50 wineries sourcing their grapes from this appellation. The University of California, Davis currently maintains a 40 acre research vineyard and laboratory facility called Oakville Station. The Oakville AVA was officially designated an American Viticultural Area in 1993.
"It’s all about the place. The Oakville AVA is the epitome of viticultural variations on a diverse theme of bedrock, soils, climate, weather, water, exposure and elevation. The people drawn to farm and make wines from Oakville grapes play a large part in its greatness as they seek to make wines that are pure and transparent, sculpting the essence and adding subtle nuances to express their unique sites."
- Michael Silacci, Opus One
Our One Acre wines are made from unique, family-owned, single vineyard sites in the Napa Valley that prioritize sustainability and careful stewardship of the land. These wines
are the ultimate expression of place and type, letting the terroir tell the story.
Key Facts
Vineyards Rock Cairn
Appellation 100% Oakville AVA
Harvest Date October 11, 2021
Varietal Composition 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2016 Oakville Hillside
Cabernet comes primarily from the Tierra Roja Vineyard but with a dash of
amazing Cabernet Franc. This year’s version is a bit more dense and 'serious' than the 2015. It has additional
depth from the richness of the 2016 vintage and ideal growing conditions for the Cabernet Franc. ‘Wow’ keeps
popping up in my notes for it.
We handcrafted Robert Mondavi Winery 2001 Fumé Blanc Reserve from Sauvignon Blanc (95%) and Semillon grapes (5%) selected exclusively from our historic To Kalon Vineyard in Napa Valley’s Oakville region. The wine expresses its To Kalon terroir with intense tropical fruit, jasmine tea, mineral and spice notes woven through a rich, silky texture. We fermented the juice entirely in small, French oak château barrels and hand-stirred the yeast during eleven months of barrel aging.
Tench Vineyard is owned by Margaret Tench and Rem Reigersman. Margaret’s ties to Napa Valley go back to the Gold Rush when her family came to California in 1846, found gold, moved to Napa and started the Napa Journal newspaper. Tench Vineyard is on the eastern side of the Oakville AVA at the corner of Oakville Cross Road and the Silverado Trail in the shadow of the Vaca Mountains. Located next door to the celebrated Screaming Eagle Vineyard, Tench is a late-ripening vineyard well known for its low rolling hills and rocky, red, volcanic soils.
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