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When Elliot Stern and his wife, Avis Mandel Stern, planted their one-acre, micro-vineyard in the eastern foothills of Oakville back in 1997, they suspected they were on to something special. As fate would have it, a number of their neighbors felt the same way and were planting or had planted their own micro-vineyards (1/3 to 1.5 acre blocks). The first few crops were sold to a number of luxury wineries in Napa Valley. In early 2004, they decided to join forces with their neighbors and create their own label: Oakville East – Exposure.
What makes eastern Oakville so special? Matt Kramer said it best in the October 14, 2004 edition of The Wine Spectator: “We’re continuing to see an increasing number of Cabernet vineyards in untraditional or previously unexplored sites often hillside ones in Napa Valley, Tuscany, Washington, Australia and South Africa, among other locales. One example would be the lush, almost liquorous Cabernets coming from what I call Oakville East, that section of the Oakville district in the hills of the Vaca Range. This is where you find Dalla Valle, Showket and Oakville Ranch, among others. This area had never seen grapevines until recently, not even in Napa’s first golden age, in the 1880’s. What emerges from this rocky, sun-drenched zone is like no other Cabernet in the world.” (The “others” Matt did not mention include: Miner Ranch, Phelps Bacchus, Rudd, Screaming Eagle, and Plump Jack.).
Of course, having great terroir is only part of the equation. To produce wines reflective of the site, every step of the winemaking and viticulture process must be first class. For Oakville East that includes green farming, restricted yields, double sorting tables, French oak barrels (80% new), and cool cave ageing. To top it off they hired one of America’s finest winemakers, Sarah Gott, who gained international fame as the winemaker with Phelps for 10 years (including Insignia) and Quintessa for two years.
“This is a wonderful project,” says Sarah. “The area is beautiful and the climate and soils, made up of the decomposed core stones of a collapsed Vaca Mountain, are perfect for Cabernet. What makes this project so unique is working with a handful of micro-vineyards instead of a larger piece of property. Each parcel features a single, relatively homogeneous terroir that gives the grapes a distinct flavor and balance. We not only harvest each vineyard individually, but we also do multiple pickings at each site to guarantee only ripe, mature grapes. It’s also exciting to have individual growers lavishing extra resources and attention on their small vineyard blocks. It makes for spectacular fruit.”
Oakville East – Exposure only produces Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery’s inaugural vintage was 2004. |
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| The Sorting Table, LLC 1700 Second St. Suite 380 Napa, CA 94559 (707) 603-1460 |
Content and Images ©2007 The Sorting Table, LLC. |
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