In 1976, the victory of a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon over a French Bordeaux at the Judgement of Paris changed the course of the Napa Valley. Prior to this, Napa was filled with diverse farms, orchards, and vineyards planted to countless grape varieties. Chasing fame and fortune, wineries have spent the last four decades systematically ripping out heritage vineyards and replanting to more profitable vines, regardless of whether or not the terroir was more suited to the original plantings. As a result of this Manifest Destiny approach to planting Cabernet Sauvignon, many old varieties are on the verge of disappearing. Of all the heritage varieties, Charbono has perhaps suffered the most. Once widely planted and highly acclaimed, it's been relegated to obscurity in the last few decades, with less than 65 acres surviving.
It was only intended to be a small, one-time experiment.
The results, however, were so thrilling that it became a passion project.
One of the joys of working on this project has been embracing a romantic way of making wine in the Napa Valley that can be harder and harder to find as it becomes such big business. Everyone involved, from the winemaking team to the growers to the friends who chip in when we need help, is in it for the love of it.
While the way of life is nostalgic, the wine isn't. The point is not to look back at the past wearing rose colored glasses, but to bring an important piece of Napa's history into the present.
As Jean-Luc Godard said, “It's not where you take things from, it's where you take them to.”
Vintner Matt Morris
Growers Peter Heitz Vince Tofanelli
Credits
Photography
video & copy Matt Morris
Label Alta+Matt Morris
Design Alta
Website
Development Lab 43
MMW
Logo Kaya Thomas
See Matt’s
Photography at mattmorrisphotos.com
Label and
website byalta.co