Becoming Virage

A virage is a bend or curve in the road, a change in perspective.  Literally translated: a banked turn, as on a mountain road.

Our turn in the road of Napa Valley winemaking banks right–in the Bordeaux blending tradition.

Trained in St. Emilion, our first winemaking consultant helped modeled Virage on the great wines of Right Bank Bordeaux.

Inspired by the supple texture and complexity of Right Bank blends, we chose sites where these varieties thrive in Napa Valley.  Our primary vineyard in Northeastern Carneros, with multiple knolls and unique soils (more typical of higher elevation Mt. Veeder), enjoys tempering influence of San Pablo Bay, providing a long ripening season to slowly develop a tapestry of flavors, maintain acidity, and keep alcohol in balance.

The Bordeaux Blending Tradition

Our philosophy follows a traditional Bordeaux model.  In Bordeaux, by laws designed to protect the region’s reputation, all red wines are blends of (up to) five closely-related grape varieties.  Grapes are planted/grown based on what works best at each site, then blended to create a balanced expression of each vintage.

Bordeaux wine labels don’t offer the percentage of each variety in the blend.  It’s just not necessary.  After many generations, winegrowers have figured out which grapes work best in their vineyards to produce the most complex and elegant wines.  However, since blends follow the soils and climate, the chateaux (wine producers) can be roughly divided by the river running through Bordeaux;  on the Left Bank, to the south, Cabernet Sauvignon dominates, while the northern Right Bank is largely planted to Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  Petrus (mostly merlot) and Cheval Blanc (mostly cabernet franc) are two prized Right Bank producers, from Pomerol and St. Emilion.

Blended American Wines

Unable to use the word “Bordeaux” on a label to explain a Bordeaux-style blend, promoting individual grape varieties became a practice of American wineries.  Well marketed and producing great wines in many sites, Cabernet Sauvignon–the hardy 17th century cross of ancient Cabernet Franc and vigorous Sauvignon Blanc–has become nearly synonymous with Napa Valley.

With 33 different soil series (compared to 4 in all wine regions of France), plus a wide range of micro-climates, we believe the Napa Valley can hardly be defined by just one of the Bordeaux grape varieties.  Check out Napa Valley Vintners’ Napa Valley AVA Soil Series for a graphic image of the rich geologic diversity of Napa Valley.

What cool climate growers know:  a long, slow ripening season creates well-structured, supple wines of striking complexity–all at lower sugar (alcohol) levels.  In Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon thrives in upvalley heat, while Cabernet Franc and Merlot can achieve their full character potential grown closer to tempering marine influence.

From the cooler side of Napa Valley,