Organic farming excludes the use of manufactured fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators and genetically modified organisms. The winery relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm. Using the best of Napa Valley’s organically grown, dry- farmed grapes and the most traditional winemaking techniques, Frog’s Leap strives to produce wines that deeply reflect the soils and climate from which they emanate.įirst certified by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) in 1988 Frog’s Leap has been a leader in the industry for over two decades. Now in its fourth decade of production, Winemakers John Williams, Paula Moschetti and Rory Williams hand-craft an annual production of 65,000 cases comprised of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot, and an estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon. A handsome bi-level barrel chai completes the state-of-the-art winemaking facility and guests are received in the warm and welcoming LEED-certified hospitality center. This noted ‘ghost winery’ was built in 1884 as the Adamson Winery and renovated in 1994 as Frog’s Leap’s permanent home. Originally founded by the Williams Family in 1981 on a spot along Mill Creek known as the Frog Farm, today Frog’s Leap makes its home amongst 200 acres of vineyards in Rutherford at the historic ‘Red Barn’. With a winery motto impossible not to love “Times fun when you’re having flies”, this family affair proves that the good route can also be a profitable one – and the results are some of Napa’s best value and most satisfying wines.Frog’s Leap is a family-owned winery dedicated to sustainable principles and committed to producing wines with balance, restraint and respect for terroir. The full range comprises a pungent and leafy tank aged Sauvignon Blanc a fascinating and innovative Chardonnay from cool Carneros a classic Zinfandel field blend that is a model of restraint and sophistication and a suave, and rather gorgeous Merlot that proves why so many of the world’s great wines contain this much maligned variety. Vintages dating back to the late 80s are still drinking beautifully. The Rutherford Cabernet, the estate’s flagship wine, is a supremely confident yet restrained example full of Rutherford dust aromas and noble Cabernet fruit, yet it remains recognisably Napa with a core of velvet cloaked tannins and mocha notes. At a philosophical level, little has changed here since the first organic harvest back in 1988. In the winery, new oak is kept to a minimum, extractions are gentle and alcohol levels are pleasingly moderate, rarely topping 13.5%, even in the Rutherford Cabernet. Having proved beyond doubt that the good way can be both financially sound, and result in better tasting fruit, he is today quite rightly seen as a figurehead of the increasingly popular movement towards true sustainability.Ībove all else, these are refreshing and delicious wines to drink. John was a pioneer in so many ways, a full decade ahead of the curve when it came to organics and regenerative agriculture, a passionate believer in dry farming, and a great advocate for social equity for his vineyard workers. There’s no winemaking wizardry, no added gloss, instead the focus is firmly and squarely on the vineyards, rooted in the belief that healthy soils make for good grapes. Since its inauguration in 1981 this Rutherford icon has been the source of some of Napa’s best value, most traditionally made, terroir driven wines – qualities it continues to embody to this day.
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