Continuum: Vineyards and winemaking

In my most recent post I explored the pedigree and genesis of Continuum, the estate founded by Tim Mondavi and his sister and designed to extend the historicity of the Mondavi wine brand. In this post I discuss grape sources and winemaking associated with the enterprise.

The first vintage for Continuum was 2005 and a total of 1300 cases were made. In a good-faith gesture, Constellation had allowed Tim to use grapes from Marjorie's Vineyard -- a block in the famed To Kalon Vineyard -- and Wappo Hills Vineyard in Stags Leap District. The To Kalon Vineyard has been covered here while Wappo Hills has the following characteristics:

• 400 acres
• Gravelly clay loam soil
• Cliffs that reflect the afternoon sun
• Bay breezes maintain cool morning and evening temperatures.

Tim was negotiating to buy the source plots from Constellation (Linda Murphy, Decanter, 5/30/07) but was unsuccessful and began looking for vines on Pritchard Hill. He eventually bought two contiguous parcels on the Hill:

• Versant, founded by the former Architect Richard Martin
• Cloudview, founded by the former Marine Biologist Leighton Taylor.

Pritchard Hill

Pritchard Hill has an unsurpassed pedigree in the annals of Napa Valley winemaking. This highly regarded lieu-dit (55 miles long and 20 miles wide) is located in the Vaca Mountains between Lake Hennessey (northwest) and the Atlas Peak AVA (southeast) with the Oakville AVA on the valley floor to the west. Notable Pritchard Hill wineries include Chappellett, Ovid, Bryant Family, and Colgin.

The areas' vineyards sit at elevations that range between 800 and 2000 feet and, as a result, they are bathed in sunshine while the valley floor is still shrouded in fog. Moderating influences on the climate include a steady breeze blowing up from the valley as well as proximity to the lake. With most of its vineyards west-facing (Colgin is the exception), the region is able to direct every last bit of the sun's rays towards ripening grapes. There is less diurnal shift on the mountain which means that the berries continue sugar production well into the evening hours.

The soils are a red clay loam of volcanic origin which is shallow, thin, and boulder-strewn. In many cases the rocks have to be dynamited to provide material for soil. The thinness of the soil allows for good drainage while its lack of depth places great stress on the vines, yielding small, thick-skinned berries which are endowed with intense flavors.

Sage Mountain Vineyard

The parcels bought by Continuum amounted to 173 acres in size, 38 of which had been planted to vine in 1991 and 1996. Additional plantings post the sale has brought the vineyard size up to 62.85 acres. The vineyard -- now called Sage Mountain Vineyard -- possesses the characteristics shown in the chart below.

Viniculture

Grapes for the Continuum Red are hand-harvested, hand-sorted, and gravity-fed into oak or concrete vessels of varying sizes to include: conical-shaped oak vats; Sonoma Cast Stone tanks; Nomblot egg-shaped tanks; and oak barrels. The wines remain on the lees post-fermentation and prior to the first racking. The wine is aged for 20 - 22 months in 83% new French oak barrels after which it is bottled unfined and unfiltered. The combination of vineyard blocks and fermentation vessels provide myriad blending opportunities at the micro-level.

At the variety level, the first three vintages did not contain any Merlot (see chart below). Once Merlot was added to the mix (2008) we see a reduction in the Petit Verdot contribution but we also see a reduction in the Cabernet Franc contribution. The Cabernet Sauvignon surge persists until the 2014 vintage after which Cabernet Franc begin to make more meaningful contributions to the blend.

The first three Continuum vintages were constructed with fruit sourced from To Kalon and Wappo Hills. In 2008, 71% of the fruit was sourced from Sage Mountain Vineyard. By 2010 all of the fruit was sourced from Pritchard Hill but not exclusively from Sage Mountain Vineyard. In 2011, 98.5% of the fruit was sourced from Sage Mountain Vineyard and that number increased to 100% beginning with the 2012 vintage.

The Mondavi Family had made great wines at Charles Krug and Robert Mondavi Winery. Now Tim had put the pieces in place at Continuum to extend that legacy. We look forward to the tasting to arrive at our independent conclusions as to how he fared in this endeavor.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme