All You Need

Calistoga is the warmest valley-floor sub-AVA in Napa, with the biggest day-to-night temperature swing in the region: about 35°F on an average summer day, often 40°F or more. The volcanic geology under the vineyards is the most uniform in Napa. The Cabernet from here is famous. The Merlot is not. That’s a bookkeeping problem, not a wine problem.

Baron Vineyard is Ken Baron’s site at the northern edge of the AVA, in a stretch of California vineyards that includes some of the most acclaimed neighbors in the country (Frediani is just down the road). Gravelly volcanic soils. Hot afternoons that drive flavor and concentration. Cold nights — pulled in off the surrounding mountains — that lock in the acid and keep the wine from sliding into syrup. Hand-harvested fruit, fermented in small open-top bins, aged 18 months in 50% new American oak. Enough warmth and spice to round the edges. Not enough to bury what the vineyard gave us.

The Merlot that proves, even after going a bit sideways...the grape never stopped being good.

Juicy plum and blackberry hit first — ripe, dark, confident. Cocoa-dusted tannins show up firm, then soften into the finish. Violet on the lift. Toasted vanilla underneath. The texture is plush, almost generous, but the mineral bite from volcanic soil keeps it honest. Pour it with something slow-cooked. Pour it with somebody you don’t have to explain yourself to. That’s the whole night.

Sourced from Baron Vineyard, a small site at the northern edge of Napa Valley’s Calistoga AVA, in a stretch of vineyards that includes some of the most acclaimed neighbors in California (Frediani is just down the road). Calistoga sits at the head of Napa, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with bedrock that’s almost entirely volcanic. Summer afternoons run around 90°F and can push past 100°F. Cool overnight air off the surrounding mountains drops temperatures about 35°F on an average summer night, and 40°F or more on nearly a third of them, the biggest daily swing in Napa Valley. The combination gives the fruit deep color, dense extract, and the acid to carry it.

Hand-harvested. Fermented in small open-top bins for maximum color and flavor extraction. Aged 18 months in 50% new American oak — adding subtle spice and toast without overshadowing the vineyard’s character.

Family-owned single vineyard. No sprays or pesticides. Organic practices (not certified), minimal intervention.

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