A M E R I C A N F I N E W I N E M A G A Z I N E No. 3 US $14.99 • CAN $14.99 • AU $15.99 T H E 1 0 0 0 F I N E S T W I N E S Napa by bike • Château Pichon-Lalande • The Napa Valley Reserve • Wine Auctions • Bordeaux 1961 US $14.99 CAN $14.99 PHOTOGRAPHY FOR CLIMATE • • W W W W O O O O R R R R L L L L D D D W W W W W I I I D D D D D D E E E E E E P P P P P P H H H H H H O O O O O T T T T O O O O O G G G G G R R R R R A A A A P P P P H H H H H H H H H I I I I I C C C C C C C C C C H H H H H A A A A A A R R R R R R I I I I I I T T T T T T T T T Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y E E E E E X X X H H H H I I I B B B B B B I I I I T T T T I I I O O O N N N This article originally appeared in Issue 3 of The American Fine Wine Magazine. The article may not be sold, altered in any way, or circulated without this statement. Every issue of The American Fine Wine features coverage of the world’s finest wines in their historical and cultural context, along with news, reviews, interviews and comprehensive international auction results. For further information, and to subscribe to The American Fine Wine Magazine, please visit www.fine-magazines.com or call +44 (0) 20 76648800. 146 FINE WINES TASTED
Transcript
A M E R I C A N F I N E W I N E M A G A Z I N E
N o . 3 US $14 .99 • CAN $14 .99 • AU $15 .99
T H E 1 0 0 0 F I N E S T W I N E SNapa by bike • Château Pichon-Lalande • The Napa Valley Reserve • Wine Auctions • Bordeaux 1961
Many people dream of having their own vineyard. Would
it not be wonderful to drive up to your own estate and
take a look at how the grapes are ripening on the vines,
how the previous year’s harvest is maturing in the barrels,
to sample the different vintages from time to time, and
enjoy a scrumptious lunch with the produce of your own
vineyard? Life would be just perfect...
But even that would not be enough for everyone,
at least not in the United States.
The estate must obviously be significant, and it should
be located in America’s highly regarded wine growing
region, the Napa Valley, in a setting worth tens of millions.
Of course, your winemakers would have to be world
leading and your lunch cooked in a two Michelin star
kitchen. It sounds like a millionaire’s playground, but you
only need a few hundred thousand dollars. Pure fantasy?
No, it’s true and for now still within reach of us all.
The Napa Valley Reserve– Wine from a perfect world
Text: Juha Lihtonen • Photos: Pekka Nuikki
– This is a wine club with numerous opportunities – as a member you may also participate in the vineyard. You get your own row of vines, and with the help of our first-rate winemakers you can keep your eye on the production of the wine from the cultivation stage right up to bottling.
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The best sort of expertise
We are sitting in the simple but stylish library of The Napa Valley Reserve. The windows that reach from the floor to the ceiling offer superb views of the vineyards. The estate’s director, Philippe Norfleet, is contently seated in a chair.
– This is a tranquil place. It is nice to sit here, enjoying your own wine, immersed in the world of books. A full-time historian works here and maintains the foremost winery library in the United States, says Norfleet, showing me the rarest books in the library, the Family Dictionary, which dates back to 1695, and The Miller Gardeners’ Dictionary, from 1759.
In addition to the comprehensive collection of books on wine, on the shelves are to be found vessels for serving it, including a Roman amphora from the 2nd century, a decanter from the 3rd, and a Greek bowl from the 4th.
It is an impressive collection. In its precious atmosphere of calm it says a lot about The Napa Valley Reserve. The place was built strictly for those who wanted more from wine than just the pleasure of its taste.
– This is an exclusive wine club with numerous opportunities – as a member you may also
participate in the vineyard. You get your own row of vines, and with the help of our first-rate winemakers you can keep your eye on the production of the wine from the cultivation stage right up to bottling. In addition, all members have the right to use the facilities. You can organize parties, tastings, lunches and dinners, or simply spend time here. We also put on special events, run courses and arrange interesting trips, explains Norfleet.
The idea is to give members a chance to produce wine they would seldom otherwise get the opportunity to make as private vineyard owners. Just finding a good wine parcel for sale in Napa Valley is difficult, not to speak of the cost – this is the priciest wine growing region in the United States. And if there happened to be just a tiny vineyard to buy, it would fetch more than a hundred times the cost of aThe Napa Valley Reserve membership. The quality of the wines would be different too. The members have at their disposal some of the world’s most highly respected winemakers: H. William Harlan, Bob Levy and Michel Rolland. Harlan, who set up The Napa Valley Reserve, has invested over 50 million dollars in the project. He has conducted precise soil surveys, planted the most suitable clones from the legendary Harlan Estate in ideal rootstocks, and aligned the vines at the best possible angle to the sun to ensure grape quality.
– The advantage of our program also lies in the fact that our members don’t need to be responsible for the production and success of the work, as the experts ensure the quality of the wines that are made, observes Norfleet.
joyful buzz of conversation combines with the soft warbling sound of a jazz band
playing in the background. Children tread grapes while their parents relax on the patio
with a glass of wine in the midday sun. It is their own wine they are drinking.
A glorious sea of vines spreads before them. Each family has rows and around 200 families are
celebrating the harvest on the estate. Among the party are doctors, politicians, lawyers,
professional sportsmen and women, and people from the entertainment industry, real estate
and technology. Only membership of America’s most exclusive wine club, The Napa Valley
Reserve, will get you admitted to celebrations like this and this particular social circle.
A
– This is a tranquil place. It is nice to sit here, enjoying your own wine, immersed in the world of books. A full-time historian works here and maintains the foremost winery library in the United States.
The estate’s director, Philippe Norfleet.
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Becoming a member
But you don’t get to become a member just like that. There is a membership committee which considers applications, Norfleet says.
– We have to restrict the total number of members according to how productive our vineyards are. If each member desires one barrel of wine we will have approximately 450 members. If they choose to purchase less than that, we will have a bit more room. We haven’t had to start a waiting list yet, but it looks as though we’re going to need one within a couple of years or so. It’s impossible to speculate how vacancies will come available. Because of this we are careful about who we accept as members. We want interesting people to join The Napa Valley Reserve. We are always keen to have new members from abroad. To cater to our members around the world we have organized events in Europe and tastings in Asia. For example, we had a trip to France where we visited all of the First Growth’s, a high performance car ice racing trip to Sweden, and several pending trips to South America, Spain and Italy. Most of our current members are from the USA, but we’ve been glad to accept members from countries such as China, Korea, Japan, the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Panama, and Canada. The average age of members is presently 50, and most are couples. Our youngest member is 28.
Members have to be 21 years of age to join and pay a US$165,000 refundable deposit. Membership is per household and can be handed down to children in the family. If a member leaves, he gets back 80% of his deposit. Besides the deposit, each member has to pay an annual fee of 2,000 dollars and buy at least 72 bottles of wine from the estate every year. One bottle costs 75 dollars. There is, also, a limit to how much wine you can have. Every year a member can purchase a maximum of three barrels of wine, which is 900 bottles. The wines are allocated and members have to say how much they want to reserve as their share before bottling takes place.
– We want interesting people to join who are good company at dinner. We are always keen to have new members from abroad.”
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Having your own wine is in itself an inducement to apply to be a member. With The Napa Valley Reserve, the situation is even more tempting. Membership allows access to America’s most sought after wines, because the same man – H. William Harlan – is behind them. There are long waiting lists for Harlan’s cult wines, Harlan Estate and Bond, both of which fetch hundreds of dollars and are extremely difficult to get a hold of. Membership in The Napa Valley Reserve guarantees access to the Harlan wine, and of course your very own. Each member has the ability to personalize their wine by creating their own individual label, if they so choose. Each bottle of The Napa Valley Reserve wine is accompanied by tasting notes that proudly state that the wine is produced by the Harlan Estate winemaking team.
Creating your own wine
During the year a number of events are organized for members at The Napa Valley Reserve, some of the most popular of which are Michel Rolland’s seminar on wine and Margrit Mondavi and Patricia Wells’ culinary arts and wine classes. During the growing season there are numerous wine events, where members have the opportunity to take part in and follow the various stages of production. If desired, members are able to influence the style of their
If desired, members are able to influence the style of their wine, under the direction of Bob Levy and on a per barrel basis.
wine, under the direction of Bob Levy and on a per barrel basis. After production, members decide what size bottle they want for their wine. There are various options: normal (75cl), magnum (1.5 litres), double magnum (3 litres) and imperial (6 litres). Finally they can design their own label for the bottle, though each requires the approval of The Napa Valley Reserve.
All of the wine is for members’ personal use; it may be donated, given as gifts, but not commercially sold. The estate’s first vintage so far – the 2004 – is still maturing in the cellars. Whilst waiting, members have the opportunity to purchase introductory wine that is produced by the Harlan Estate winemaking team.
A cellar deep in the ground
The Napa Valley Reserve is still maturing – like its wine – and is not completely ready yet. That is indicated in the production areas that are being renovated behind its fashionable reception buildings. However, the cellars, hollowed out of the rock and measuring 40,000 square feet, are almost complete. Wine production and the maturation areas are ready, but the cellars for storing the bottles are still being finished. It is obvious that no expense has been spared in the production areas.
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All the equipment and apparatus are the best one can get. Meticulous attention has been paid to detail. The technical solutions have been designed with the wine itself in mind, to ensure the best possible quality. One example is the oak barrel racks, which enable the barrels
– A unique wine club where members can participateas much or as little as they would like in all the activities they wouldnormally have as vineyard owners but without the risk.
The perfect leisure destination
– Adjacent to the wine estate, just a moments drive away, is one of the finest properties in the Napa Valley. Meadowood Napa Valley is a Relais & Châteaux property with a two-star Michelin restaurant and our members are able to enjoy it. Meadowood, which Harlan owns with his partners, is a natural extension of the wine estate, offering our members such facilities as golf, tennis, swimming, and spa treatments. Meadowood’s two Michelin star restaurant also handles all The Napa Valley Reserve’s catering, guaranteeing our members not just superb wines but access to one of the best restaurants in the country, praises Norfleet.
The Napa Valley Reserve, with the Meadowood facilities comprise together a unique whole. A first-rate setting, the world’s leading winemakers, and its luxurious accommodation and catering services make it the world’s most perfect wine estate. And the best thing about it is, it could be yours. With no responsibilities and no big risks you will have available to you a leisure destination, your own exclusive wines and hundreds of new contacts from around the world. Life really can be perfect. >
www.thenapavalleyreserve.com
to be turned over at the fermentation stage. Turning the barrels four times a day makes for better integration of the tannins and oak in the wine as well as exposing the free-run juice to the skins. The temperature is controlled by thermal piping under the floor and in the walls.
The tunnels next to the technical production area lead to a splendid area for members. Twelve tasting areas hewn out of the rock and insulated by means of glass walls will function as members’ cellars. The lockable storage areas located here guarantee ideal conditions for keeping the wine.
Each area has its own computer to monitor temperature and moisture levels. In order to eliminate mould spores, no natural fibres have been used here, and the furniture is of metal. New tasting areas will be built as required, to cater for the growing membership.
Overall, though, The Napa Valley Reserve offers its members magnificent facilities. The only thing one wonders about is where to stay over night during the visit.
