A New Breed : Hand Harvesting and Daring Pay Off for Napa Valley’s Vichon Winery

A NEW BREED of California wine makers is breaking aesthetic frontiers in quality wine production. While respecting the classic traditions, they are blending science and artistic imagination to bring us nectars of the grape with unprecedented finesse. (This report, on the Vichon Winery in Napa Valley, is the first in a series of profiles of these innovators.)

The Vichon Winery was born in 1980 after noted members of the wine and restaurant industry resolved to produce wines specifically to accompany food, wines made with complexity and longevity in mind. In 1985, the project was purchased by the Robert Mondavi family, which continued to produce limited quantities of elegant wines. That June, Tim Mondavi recruited Michael Weis from Inglenook to become wine maker.

Because Vichon wines are handmade, the wine maker can taste them at every step of fermentation and aging.

The Vichon method of making white wines uses a centuries-old technique known as sur lie aging for its Chevrignon and Chardonnay. This leaves the fully fermented dry wines on their yeast lees (sediment) for an extended period. Unlike traditional methods in which the lees aren’t stirred at all (stirring could cause the wine to give off odors), Weis daringly stirred them every two weeks during the time the lees were in the wine. When enzymes change within the yeast cells, amino acids, esters of bouquet and other natural compounds are released into the wine, enhancing bouquet and flavor elements, bringing forth nutty, spicy fruit complexity and a silky creaminess.

In red wines, Weis supervises an extended period of maceration whereby newly fermented wines remain in contact with the skins and seeds in hermetically sealed tanks for as long as four weeks. Here, small tannin molecules, extracted from the skins, form softer tannin molecules much like those found in aged wines, making even younger wines ready to enjoy.

Here are some tasting notes on Vichon wines in current release:

1986 Napa Valley Chevrignon (50% Sauvignon Blanc /50% Semillon). $9.60. This proprietary blend proves the artistry of sur lie aging, which gives this fresh, clean young wine its silkiness and eliminates any biting astringency.

1987 Napa Valley Chardonnay $16. Again, sur lie aging gives subtle smoothness as the counterpoint to an engaging fresh fruitiness, oak only apparent in a subliminal rounding of taste finesse. Graceful wine, rather than a swaggering or buttery Chardonnay.

1985 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon-SLD $20. This aristocratic claret is composed of 99.6% of Cabernet Sauvignon, with finishing touches of Cabernet Franc (0.3%) and Merlot (0.1%). It has a supple richness and positive grace.

1986 Napa Valley Botrytis Semillon 374 milliliters. $15. Light, late-season rains created the humidity that brought on “noble rot,” the fungus Botrytis cinerea. Hand harvesting brought select clusters to the presses: 93.1% Semillon; 6.9% Sauvignon Blanc. The blend is without a trace of bitterness in the honey-rich finish. Residual sugar, 11.7%.