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Casa Nuestra Winery & Vineyards
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CASA NUESTRA (which means “Our House”) has crafted by hand about 1,500 cases of wine annually since its establishment by the Kirkham family. Gene Kirkham, aka the Happy Farmer, continues to oversee operations now in their 26th year. Long time friend and collaborator, Allen Price is the winemaker. Casa Nuestra crafts several varieties including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, and two unique blends: a Meritage, which is a blend of Bordeaux varieties and Tinto, made from a rare, last-of-its-kind field blend vineyard. The original Tinto vineyard was one of the first hillside vineyards planted in the famed Oakville region. It was planted sometime in the 1940's, at a time when some famous vineyards, which now surround it - such as Martha's Vineyard, Far Niente, and Harlan- were prune orchards or cow pastures. This vineyard is a field mix, which means that it is not a homogenous vineyard planted to a single variety of grapes. Rather, it is planted to a collection of grape varietals, some of which mystify identification experts. It is a wine recipe planted in the ground, reflecting the traditional Old World practices that were common several generations ago. The Kirkham family acquired this unique vineyard in 1956. It was due to the industry's growing desire for commercial, single-grape vineyards that these once common field blends too quickly disappeared. In 1994, to keep the history alive, the Kirkhams took cuttings of the original Oakville vineyard and t-budded them onto vines in St. Helena until the entire vineyard was successfully reproduced there. Wine from the cloned vineyard in St. Helena is labeled "Tinto" while wines from the original Oakville stand are labeled "Tinto Classico."
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Directions
We're located only two miles north of Deer Park Road on the west side of the Silverado Trail in Saint Helena, California.
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Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena Estate
This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was grown on the western-facing hillside of our St. Helena Estate. We harvested the field on three separate occasions to assure maximum maturity of the fruit. This yielded enough juice to fill three small French Oak barrels, in which we aged the wine for two full years. The result is beautiful: A bright and silky wine with complex flavors of plum, black cherry with a sweet, smoky tobacco. We recommend holding this wine for several years, as it will certainly continue to develop in the bottle. The new label depicts a colorful autumn’s evening in our beautiful Napa Valley.
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Chenin Blanc, St. Helena Estate
Made from vineyards planted in the early 1960’s, this wine offers a fabulous balance of fruit and acidity. The green apple and fresh melon flavors give way to a fresh opulent mouth-feel and allows for a crisp-clean finish. You’re invited to pair this Chenin Blanc with a variety of foods such as saucy seafood dishes, green salads and grilled meats. The cellar potential for this white wine is more than 20 years!
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Dry Chenin Blanc, Green Valley
Green Valley is just over the foothills, east of Casa Nuestra. It is there we discovered a wonderful (but tiny) Chenin Blanc vineyard. This would mark our first, non-estate Chenin Blanc. It offers all of the characteristics we have grown to love in our estate Chenin. It has melon and green apples on the palate and a crisp acidity. Production note: because this was such a small lot, we could not cold stabilize, which is a process affecting the aesthetics of the wine. Once chilled, natural may appear at the bottom of the bottle. Rest assured, in no way does it affect the flavors or aromas.
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Late Harvest French Colombard
This French Colombard vineyard is a small block in our 65 year-old-vineyard in Oakville. It is not every year we get to make this wine, as it usually doesn’t ripen so each year we cross our fingers that it will be kissed by Mother Nature. This year it was. The vines were 100% Botrytized, although still low in sugar, it offered a unique wine with only 2.5% residual sugar. The fruit aromas and flavors range from peaches and apricots to pineapples and bananas – depending on which staff member you ask! The finish is snappy, making it a delightful accompaniment to a fruit, nut and cheese tray or a fabulous replacement of a traditional dessert.
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Napa Valley Cabernet Franc, St. Helena Estate
We’ve been producing Cabernet Franc from the estate vineyards since 1986, probably one of North America’s earliest Franc programs. This vintage, is 100% Cabernet Franc and offers a pleasant combination of blackberry aromas and crisp tannins. Be sure to decant this wine if you want to drink it anytime within the next five years. It will pair well with a variety of meats and sauces. The new label depicts a romantic summer’s evening on our beautiful Napa Valley estate, part of our newest label series presenting a different season on each of our Bordeaux varietals.
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Napa Valley Meritage, St. Helena Estate
This traditional Bordeaux style wine is made more specifically in the style of the St. Emillion region. All grown in the estate vineyards, we aged the three different varietals separately, in small French oak barrels. We then created our blend: Merlot (62%), Cabernet Franc (23%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%.) This recipe offers a wonderfully rich and smooth wine boasting nuances of blackberries and cassis with the tannins being well-masked.
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Napa Valley Merlot, St. Helena Estate
We are very fortunate to be located in the region of Napa Valley that is most acclaimed for growing Merlot. Our 100% estate Merlot has consistently ranked among the finest from this dry, riparian terroir offering wines that are rich and complex. This 2003 vintage is no exception. It is beautifully rounded and smooth offering velvety flavors of ripe cherries and strawberry, reminiscent of the ideal growing season.
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Napa Valley Rosado (Dry), St. Helena Estate
Initially, we made our Rosado in the likeness of the Rosés we tried in Loire a couple of years ago. This year, we put our own spin on it by blending 52% Merlot and 48% Cabernet Franc. It was fermented to dryness in stainless steel and already offers abundant strawberries and bright cherry flavors that dance on the tongue before finishing clean. Serve with grilled salmon, BBQ ribs, a crisp green salad, or any summertime dish.
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Riesling, St. Helena Estate
2004 Riesling (off-dry), St. Helena Estate $19/btl, 6-btl allocation, club members & 4 bottle limit for non members. In our La Jolla del Norte vineyard located on the eastside of the Silverado Trail grows only seven rows and a fence line of Riesling grapes that were planted back in 1966. With only .8% RS (residual sugar) it is beautifully balanced with bright exotic fruits like pineapple and tangerine and just enough acidity to make the finish crisp & clean. Enjoy chilled on sultry afternoons around the pool or all year long with spicy Asian dishes.
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Tinto Classico, Old Vines, Oakville Estate
This field-blended* wine offers a unique balance of bright fruit, (we get creamy raspberries and dark cherries) with a spicy pepper on the finish. At least nine varieties are planted side by side in this 1943 vineyard. The actual percentage of each contributing varietal is undetermined: Old-Clone Zinfandel, Cabernet Pfeffer, Alicante Bouschet, Carignane, Petite Sirah, Mouvedre, Refosco, Napa Gamay, and Pinot Noir. Being very Chianti in style, try it with pasta in a tomato based sauce, or a seafood paella and most especially chocolate!.
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Tinto, St. Helena Estate
Made from our field mix vineyard planted in 1992, this wine has truly come into its own! We planted nine varietals on 2.3-acres, in the likeness of our Oakville stand - adding a bit more Petite Sirah, Carignane and Zinfandel. This vintage offers big, ripe cherries on the palate and wonderful aromas of plum and chocolate. It has great structure as well as serious cellar potential.
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Two Goats Red: A Napa Valley Red Wine!
This is our second production of this fun and whimsical wine. The blend changes each year, with this production being Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. We make this affordable wine to honor our two favorite goats, Nava & Cross, although they won’t get to drink any! It is already very smooth and offers tons of mixed berry. Enjoy this hearty red wine all summer long with anything off the grill.
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