How an acclaimed winemaker, a Master of Wine student, & a Certified Sommelier created a new wine
Nevada City, CA – Mountain Peoples Wine (MPW) announced that it will be distributing a new single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, made from CCOF organic certified grapes from VIADER Winery. The Dare by VIADER 2018, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grigsby Vineyard, Yountville, Napa Valley will be an exclusive limited release in California. 96% percent of VIADER’s wines are not available to the general public.
“This is a great opportunity to bring a cult winery’s experiment with organic grapes to customers in California” said MPW President Laura Fung. “This is a great pairing of a classic Napa Winery & the oldest & largest organic focused wine distributor in California.”
A chance meeting inspired a new wine
In January 2019 Phillip Anderson and other Master of Wine students visited several Napa wineries through the Napa Valley Vintners association. One opportunity involved small groups of students going to different wineries. The luck of the draw sent Phillip to VIADER. Alan Viader picked the students up & took them to the winery. At the winery they got a quick lesson in pruning that ended with the students carefully pruning a few rows of very expensive vines. That was followed up by a tour, & of course, a tasting.
After the visit, Alan & Phillip grabbed some beer & fries at a local restaurant. They discussed organic & sustainable wine. Alan has a firm belief in long term sustainability being key to a generational wine company in part because he is a second-generation winemaker. Alan’s mother Delia Viader founded the winery. In 2006 he took over winemaking duties in addition to his vineyard management duties. He has experimented with many different techniques to make the highest quality wine while promoting healthy soil & conserving water. Phillip is vice-president of sales for Mountain Peoples Wine Distribution (MPW). MPW is celebrating 25 years as the oldest & largest California distributor primarily focused on organic wine.
A few weeks later, Alan contacted Phillip with the idea to produce a new wine. Alan’s passion for organic farming and sustainability led him to explore neighboring properties in Napa Valley also being farmed organically. Grigsby Vineyard was planted in 1991 in the Yountville Appellation, near the corner of Silverado Trail and Yountville Crossroad. The team at MPW jumped at the opportunity to work with such a prestigious winery. VIADER Winery is one of the most respected wineries in the Napa Valley. They have had wines ranked as high as #2 & #3 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 List. They were named the 2019 Best Boutique Winery in Napa by Napa Valley Life.
Vanessa Wich joined Phillip on another trip to visit Viader Winery. Vanessa not only is the Portfolio & Purchasing Manager at MPW, she is also a Certified Sommelier (CMS). At the winery, Alan, Phillip & Vanessa tasted samples of the 18 barrels of wine from the vineyard. There was a combination of French oak, American oak, new barrels, older barrels, lightly toasted barrels, & heavily charred barrels. Each barrel contained a slightly different expression of the Cabernet Sauvignon. After extensive tasting, a mere six barrels were chosen for the limited production wine. Alan took those six barrels & melded them together to create 125 cases of wine. Alan says the wine, “highlights a specific style that boasts approachable tannins and balanced red fruits, even in its youth. The wine nearly leaps out of the glass with its expressive fruit and lively aromatics. Inviting floral notes of lavender and rose petals, vibrant aromatics of dark red fruits recalling black cherry and blackberry. Showing incredible juiciness on the palate, layered with dark fruit, fresh acidity, and polished tannins, all in exceptional balance. Very round in the mouth with cashmere-like texture. Dark chocolate, espresso and spices grace the long complex finish. Decant for 30-45 minutes. Should you have the patience to cellar this wine, you will be rewarded for years to come – Drink now and over 7+ years.” It’s a unique wine that will only be available in California, & only for a limited time. It’s also proves that hanging around & drinking beer & eating French fries isn’t always a waste of time.
Availability
Dare by VIADER 2018, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grigsby Vineyard, Yountville, Napa Valley is now available from Mountain Peoples Distribution orders@mpwwine.com 530-265-0300
