If all be true that I do think,
There are five reasons we should drink:
Good wine - a friend - or being dry -
Or lest we should be by and by -
Or any other reason why.
Henry Aldrich 1647 – 1710

The month of September is reason to drink for us here at Wine Watch. 

Continuing our study of Napa Valley this month we will be featuring eight vintages of Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is one of the best values in all of Diamond Mountain and one of the only wines we can offer you eight different vintages back to 2005 so you can host your own vertical tasting of this great small producer from Napa Valley.

This tasting is limited to 12 tasters and the fee for this event which includes dinner is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Andrew Geoffrey Vertical Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Tasting
Thursday, September 2nd
7:30pm

2016 Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain
Price: $114.00    Your Price: $100.32          Quantity in Stock: 6
2013 Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain
Price: $114.00    Your Price: $100.32          Quantity in Stock: 5
2012 Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain
Price: $114.00    Your Price: $100.32          Quantity in Stock: 2
2011 Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain
Price: $114.00    Your Price: $100.32          Quantity in Stock: 6
2009 Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain
Price: $114.00    Your Price: $100.32          Quantity in Stock: 6
2008 Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain
Price: $114.00    Your Price: $100.32          Quantity in Stock: 6
2007 Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain
Price: $114.00    Your Price: $100.32          Quantity in Stock: 18
2005 Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain
Price: $114.00    Your Price: $100.32          Quantity in Stock: 5

Menu
Cheese and Charcuterie Selection
Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Beefsteak Tomato Short Stack with Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette
Beef Short Rib Empanadas with Mole Sauce
Pancetta wrapped Kurobuta Pork Loin served over Black Bean Puree with Grilled Pepper Salsa
Chocolate Covered Bacon and Blackberries

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

A bit about Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards

Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards’ 13 acres of red wine grapes are situated within a 66-acre parcel of prime hillside vineyard property on the highest slopes of the Diamond Mountain District sub-appellation of the Napa Valley. Diamond Mountain is located along the Mayacamas mountain range between St. Helena and Calistoga. The Diamond Mountain sub-appellation is well known and recognized for its diversity of volcanic soils, varied micro-climates, and generous amounts of winter rainfall. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown on Diamond Mountain have an outstanding reputation for high quality and Diamond Mountain wines produced from those Cabernet Sauvignon grapes possess strong consumer recognition.

Since visiting the Napa Valley in 1973, while attending college in southern California, Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards’ owner, Peter Thompson, set his sights on getting into the wine business in the Napa Valley. In 1992, Peter began actively pursuing his goal of owning a vineyard in the prestigious Napa Valley. After a two and a half year search for the ultimate vineyard property, Peter selected the Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards site atop Diamond Mountain. The property was undeveloped, but only needed the right combination of efforts to realize its incredible potential for creating a state-of-the-art vineyard to produce world class California Cabernet Sauvignon wine.

Peter purchased the land in 1995 and set out to assemble a team of experienced professionals to carve the vineyard site out of the scrub, brush and forest native to Diamond Mountain. After a year of extensive planning, obtaining the appropriate permits and drafting of the most extensive erosion control plan ever devised in the Napa Valley, 13 acres of land were cleared and prepared with the expertise and guidance of well-known Napa Valley viticulturist, Rex Geitner.

The first consideration for building a successful vineyard was to locate and tap into a consistent, non-seasonal water source for irrigation. After much consideration, a well site was picked and, after an unsuccessful drilling attempt, Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards became home to one of the deepest wells (850 feet) in the Napa Valley. The result was a well with an abundance of ice-cold, clear, and chemical free water that does not need treatment before use. On a hot day, the vineyard workers regularly fill up their water bottles from the spigot at the well head with cold drinking water.

The unique combination of soils (volcanic ash and tufa rock) and varying exposures (Northeast, North and Northwest) required an extensive investigation into locating and then purchasing exactly the right rootstock and red grape clones. Rex’s selection process was exacting, but required to optimize use of the land and micro-climates within the vineyard. In 1996, Peter purchased the rootstock and clones selected by Rex. In late July 1997, sectional planting of one year old bench grafted rootstock/budstock was completed.

The vineyard has spacing of 8 feet between rows and 5 feet between vines and was originally comprised of:

sixty-eight percent (68%) Cabernet Sauvignon, clones 337 and 15, both on 110r rootstock,
eighteen percent (18%) Cabernet Franc of a proprietary clone on 110r rootstock,
twelve percent (12%) Merlot clones 181 and
a proprietary clone of rare quality also on 110r rootstock, and two percent (2%) Petit Verdot clone 2 on 110r rootstock.
Currently, after budding over (converting) the Merlot clones in 2003 to additional Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, the vineyard is comprised of:

seventy-eight percent (78%) Cabernet Sauvignon, clones 337 and 15, both on 110r rootstock,
eighteen percent (18%) Cabernet Franc of a proprietary clone on 110r rootstock, and
four percent (4%) Petit Verdot clone 2 on 110r rootstock.
In April of 2020, Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards began to implement its long-term plan to plant an additional 3 acres (approximately) of vines, which had been approved by Napa County back in 1996. Clearing for the additional acreage took place in May 2020, with completion of the vineyard installation to be the following season in May 2021. However, mother nature had other plans.

In late September 2020, the Glass Fire burned over the top of Diamond Mountain, and thus, burned through and around Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards. The property suffered substantial losses, including its fences and gates, sheds, vineyard equipment, the staging platform, furniture and irrigation system. Approximately 250 vines have been damaged and will need to be replanted either in 2022 or 2023. It was unclear whether the planned vineyard expansion would be delayed for another season.

After assessing the damage, Peter decided to rebuild/repair the vineyard, and, additionally, press on with the new vineyard blocks. The first order of business was to secure the original vineyard blocks, which required rebuilding the vineyard fence. Next, most of the irrigation system was replaced as the irrigation lines had melted during the fire. Essential equipment has been replaced and the staging platform rebuilt. The sheds will be replaced over the next few years.

The new blocks of vines were next. The first new block is located slightly down the mountain, at the Northwest corner of the 66 acres, and forms a separate vineyard from the original vineyard. This lower block, designated “Block 9,” is approximately 1.1 acres and is spaced at 7 feet between rows and 4 feet between vines. It has been planted with 110r rootstock, which will be field grafted in 2022 to Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 337 with cuttings from the original vineyard.

The new upper block, designated “Block 8,” features two different row directions to take advantage of drainage in the porous volcanic ash and tufa soils. The total area of Block 8 is approximately 1.9 acres and has been planted with 110r rootstock. Approximately one quarter of Block 8 will be grafted to additional Petite Verdot and the other three quarters will be grafted to Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 169. Grafting will take place during the 2022 season.

For the 2021 vintage, Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards will be selling Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to its long-term buyers Jackson Family Estates, for their Cardinale and Lakoya brands (Chris Carpenter, winemaker for both brands) and Ron and Sue-Marie Haber at Haber Family Vineyards (Tim Milos, winemaker). Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards will also be selling Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to Implicit Wine Cellars (Kirk Venge, winemaker), and Cabernet Franc grapes to Tom Gamble at Gamble Family Vineyards (Jim Close, winemaker). Peter and John Gibson work closely with our grape purchasers and consider them valuable partners in making incredible Napa Valley wines.