Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/235941
2 0I1N E U N IK II N G W 4 MA F ED Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc (a high percentage for Napa Valley but reflecting the historical plantings in Bordeaux), 15% Petit Verdot and only 5% Merlot. The winery harvested only 1.85 tons per acre last year, though some of the vines are young. Other land lies fallow or in rootstock. The winery isn't large, being built to optimize the grapes harvested on-site. Production was 2,700 cases in 2012. "The winery is all about the vineyard," said Mondavi, adding that the winery site was chosen to have minimal impact on the vines. The attractive building was designed by veteran winery architect Howard Backen. It nestles into a hill that provides one wall as well as a target for a future wine-aging cave. It is finished in earth tones with olive and Manzanita trees framing the entrance. Visitors pass through massive doors and enter a high-ceilinged gallery with halls filled with fermentation tanks on either side and two more down the hall. A forest of tanks Eventually, the winery will boast one tank per vineyard block, but not all of the vines are producing, and for now the winery is using some older tanks brought from previous winemaking projects and quarterton bins to ferment some of the blocks. The number of tanks allows winemaker Kurt Niznik and assistant winemaker Carrie Findleton, working under Mondavi's guidance, to optimize each lot. The best lots are eventually blended to create the $175 signature wine, Continuum, though they do produce a second label, Novicium, which costs $88 per bottle. "Clarity of focus creates the best wine," Mondavi said. All of the fermentation tanks are either made of oak (75%) or concrete (25%) in the shape of truncated cones. The only stainless steel tanks are used for rack and return processing to get the wine off seeds and other unwanted deposits, and for blending. Mondavi's use of the approximately 4-ton oak tanks are reminiscent of the much larger tanks that frame the To Kalon fermentation room at Robert Mondavi Winery, once owned by his family, and Tim readily admits that he was inspired to install the smaller versions based on that experience. Continuity is a constant thread in the winery. Continuum employs 22 people full time, and a few of them worked for State-of-the-art equipment is put to good use during crush at Continuum Esate winery in the Napa Valley. Win es & Vin es ja n ua ry 20 14 59