Mayacamas Vineyards
Encyclopedia
Mayacamas Vineyards is a California wine
producer located in the Mt. Veeder AVA
in the Mayacamas Mountains within the Napa Valley AVA
, bordering the Sonoma Valley AVA
. The estate is known for producing wine of a more traditional style than the Napa trends of recent years that emphasizes power, weight, high levels of alcohol and extravagance.
are said to have made wine in the old stone cellar during the early years of the Prohibition
. During the late 1920s and 1930s the property was owned by the Brandlin family.
British chemist Jack Taylor and his wife Mary bought the property in 1941, and the estate received its current name.
In 1968 the winery was bought by its present owner, Robert Travers and his wife Elinor. Under their direction, the aging facilities was enlarged, neighboring land purchased, and vineyard
clearing, planting and replanting are an ongoing process. Elinor Travers died in 2007.
The estate was featured as a location in the 1995 film A Walk in the Clouds
portraying Napa Valley of the 1940s.
In the Wine Spectator Wine Tasting of 1986, blind tasters evaluated how the Cabernet Sauvignon wines had aged
ten years after the Paris event. The 1971 Mayacamas Vineyards was ranked second.
On the 30th anniversary of the Paris event, two panels of expert wine tasters tasted all the original red entries to assess how the wines had aged. Mayacamas Vineyards tied for third place (with Heitz Wine Cellars
) in the field of ten.
, Cabernet Sauvignon
grapes, and small blocks of Sauvignon Blanc
, Pinot Noir
, Merlot
and Cabernet Franc
, the vineyard area extends 53 acres (21.4 ha).
The winery produces approximately a total of 5,000 cases of wine per year. On average there is produced 2,000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and 2,000 cases of Chardonnay. There is also produced approximately 600 cases of Sauvignon Blanc as well as a few hundred cases of Pinot Noir.
California wine
California wine has a long and continuing history, and in the late twentieth century became recognized as producing some of the world's finest wine. While wine is made in all fifty U.S. states, up to 90% of American wine is produced in the state...
producer located in the Mt. Veeder AVA
Mt. Veeder AVA
Mount Veeder AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA among the Mayacamas Mountains. The boundaries of this appellation include with planted on thin volcanic soil. Many vineyards are found on the steep mountain face some as steep as 30°...
in the Mayacamas Mountains within the Napa Valley AVA
Napa Valley AVA
Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States. Napa Valley is considered one of the top wine regions in the United States...
, bordering the Sonoma Valley AVA
Sonoma Valley AVA
The Sonoma Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, USA which centers on the Sonoma Valley in the southern portion of the county...
. The estate is known for producing wine of a more traditional style than the Napa trends of recent years that emphasizes power, weight, high levels of alcohol and extravagance.
History
The winery was built in 1889 by John Henry Fisher a German immigrant who went bankrupt in the early 1900s. It then fell into disuse for several years although bootleggersRum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
are said to have made wine in the old stone cellar during the early years of the Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
. During the late 1920s and 1930s the property was owned by the Brandlin family.
British chemist Jack Taylor and his wife Mary bought the property in 1941, and the estate received its current name.
In 1968 the winery was bought by its present owner, Robert Travers and his wife Elinor. Under their direction, the aging facilities was enlarged, neighboring land purchased, and vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
clearing, planting and replanting are an ongoing process. Elinor Travers died in 2007.
The estate was featured as a location in the 1995 film A Walk in the Clouds
A Walk in the Clouds
A Walk in the Clouds is a 1995 American romantic drama film directed by Alfonso Arau. The screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen, Mark Miller, and Harvey Weitzman is based on the 1942 Italian film Four Steps in the Clouds by Piero Tellini, Cesare Zavattini, and Vittorio de Benedetti.-Plot:Shortly after...
portraying Napa Valley of the 1940s.
Paris tasting
The winery received international recognition after its Cabernet Sauvignon was selected for competition in the 1976 "Judgment of Paris" wine competition. Robert Travers had agreed to sell three bottles of the still unreleased 1971 vintage for the event, although he did not consider it ready to drink.In the Wine Spectator Wine Tasting of 1986, blind tasters evaluated how the Cabernet Sauvignon wines had aged
Aging of wine
The aging of wine, and its ability to potentially improve wine quality, distinguishes wine from most other consumable goods. While wine is perishable and capable of deteriorating, complex chemical reactions involving a wine's sugars, acids and phenolic compounds can alter the aroma, color,...
ten years after the Paris event. The 1971 Mayacamas Vineyards was ranked second.
On the 30th anniversary of the Paris event, two panels of expert wine tasters tasted all the original red entries to assess how the wines had aged. Mayacamas Vineyards tied for third place (with Heitz Wine Cellars
Heitz Wine Cellars
Heitz Wine Cellars is a California wine producer located within Napa Valley east of the town of St. Helena. An early modern era Napa Valley presence and pioneering exponent of French oak, the estate enjoys a historical renown with the success of its Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and has...
) in the field of ten.
Production
Cultivating ChardonnayChardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
, Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
grapes, and small blocks of Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
, Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
, Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
and Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
, the vineyard area extends 53 acres (21.4 ha).
The winery produces approximately a total of 5,000 cases of wine per year. On average there is produced 2,000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and 2,000 cases of Chardonnay. There is also produced approximately 600 cases of Sauvignon Blanc as well as a few hundred cases of Pinot Noir.