Sky Vineyards

Sky Vineyards • Comments »

If you go, the quickest way from the Bay Area to Napa's Sky Vineyards is actually to approach from the Sonoma side of the Mayacaymas mountains. There's a certain futility in racing here, however, as it quickly becomes apparent that this is a winery largely unconcerned with rapidity, modernity, or any "isms."

On a frigid and wind-whipped December day, we slowly wound our way to the vineyard and winery 2,100 feet up in the Mount Veeder appellation, a diverse and sparsely commercialized AVA on the Southwesten edge of the valley. Just over a thousand acres of land are under vine throughout, merely a fraction of the 15,000 acres within its boundaries. The more southerly portion shares a cooling marine aspect with Carneros, while the north is warmer, more like the up-valley climes. Elevations are wide-ranging also, from a mere 450 feet above sea level, to 2,500 at the topmost. Sky is near the top of Mount Veeder - in both elevation and latitude - and after a harrowing climb, we came to the amphitheater shaped site.

We park overlooking the oldest vines, planted in 1972, their gnarled and twisted Goblet-trained trunks ready for winter pruning, canes sprouting menacingly from every direction, and a few lingering and raisinated bunches of Zinfandel grapes hanging above the wild grasses and rocky volcanic soil. The newer vines on our right were more orderly, but the sense remained that this was not a manicured estate whose main traffic was in tourism. In the early part of last century, this plot actually was part of a mountain resort, and old stagecoach trails still traverse the property. These days however, the 14 acres site is more spartan and utilitarian, with hardly more than the winery (née barn), chicken coop and the cobbled-together homestead sharing space with the vineyard. A solar panel array is the single nod to technology, and keeps the winery off the grid.

We meet Lore Olds, owner and winemaker, in the studio where he carves the block prints that adorn each label, and after introductions, head down to taste the wines from barrel. Within minutes, nearly all the other people involved in this family operation have joined us, and it's scarcely more than a handful. A quick tour of the dry- and sustainably-farmed vineyard is cut short by the icy wind; passing the hand press, in use since early last century, we huddle instead inside the winery for an informal tasting, dipping the thief into barrels of Syrah, Zin and a single barrel of Rosé.

The Syrah was new to me, having only been planted in 2000 - the young vines have turned out a deft interpretation of the grape with pure, fresh fruit, with strong floral and mineral undertones and fine tannins. It's also a good setup for tasting the Zin. Out of barrel, it shows a lot in common to the 2005 we have on the list at nopa: fresh pure fruit flavors in a flatteringly rustic style, laced with briary, herby notes. On the palate, it shows soft red fruits leading to silky tannins. Despite its mountainous heritage, it's clearly made in a classic, food-friendly style, light on the extract and alcohol. And the Rosé? We took a couple carafes back to the house to enjoy with a picnic lunch in front of the woodburning stove which was stoked relentlessly to drive the chill out of our bones.

For more information, please vist their website.

Posted by Caleb Taft on April 5, 2009 • Filed under Wine
Photos by Caleb Taft