VOLANTE Stanley Moss discovers an exclusive winery amongst the overly commercial scene of Napa
Photographed by the author and Paula Sweet
In a perpetual search for perfection, the Napa Valley has become perfect, victim to its own destiny. We’re talking California, so everything is big. Big vineyards, big production, big alcohol content, big packaging, big prices, big architecture, a big promotion-heavy destination. While intentions are good, an insincere and overdone presentation is often the impression it gives, the Disney Effect. Imperfection has ceased to exist in the high-profile players. The wineries are immaculate, their sales machines are wise, and their prices stratospheric. They have tastefully succumbed to drive-up culture, catering to aficionados who seek heady potions, some at a strength of 17 per cent. The Napa you encounter on the highways is McWine Country. The small growers remain in hiding.
Thus we were gratified to discover Scalon Cellars, a limited-production winery working in the artisan method, releasing fewer than 1,000 cases a year. They produce refined award-winning California wines from an impeccably manicured postage stamp-sized vineyard on a fertile hillside which overlooks the valley. Rendered in the French style, the exceptional wines have developed a secretive and loyal following. A commitment to the brand requires a minimum six bottles received twice a year, obtained directly from the winery through what is labelled an allocation. Scalon’s output won’t be found in retail stores, not even within the Napa city limits. You might call the winemakers discreet entrepreneurial connoisseurs. They are fanatical to the point of having their barrels made exclusively of hand-chosen French oak. The Andalusian horse on the brand signature brings to mind da Vinci’s sketches for a huge bronze statue intended for the Duke of Sforza. At the minimalist five-acre vineyard visitors encounter an Airstream trailer which is very active during the summer and fall as an on-site tasting room. Year-round you can visit a new facility in town, which looks out upon a restful landscape and the meandering Napa River. •
Stanley Moss is travel editor of Lucire.
Related articles hand-picked by our editors
A hop, sip and a jump
Jody Miller traverses California’s Sonoma and Livermore wine regions
A family vineyard with heart
Elyse Glickman visits Palmaz Vineyards, a family-owned and run property that blends tradition with technology, aided by geology and a gift for winemaking
Photographed by the author and courtesy Palmaz Vineyards
Notes on Napa
Lola Cristall has four treats from California’s Napa Valley that might not figure on a regular visitor’s calendar
Photographs courtesy Napa Valley Wine Train and BottleRock