As noted previously, early Tuesday morning of my visit to the Napa Valley, we drove up to Cain 5 to learn more about Napa’s appellations and climate. Cain 5 is located in the Spring Mountain AVA and is reached by driving a steep and windy road for several miles. Fortunately, the view and the wines are well worth the effort. We spent the initial moments of our visit with a walk out to the vineyards to watch the fog roll in (see previous post). Afterward, Chris Howell of Cain and Dawnine Dyer from Dyer Vineyard presented key information before we adjourned to the beautifully appointed tasting room.

Here, we had the unique opportunity to taste a flight of wines from the various Napa mountain sub-appellations (Spring Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain –no relation to Chris, as far as I am aware, Mount Veeder and Atlas Peak). I say unique because plantings on the mountains and hillsides have come under much scrutiny with regard to land preservation and accordingly, it is unlikely that additional vines will make their home in these appellations. Consequently, many of the mountain appellation wines are made in small quantities and sport high prices. The wines we tasted ranged from $54/bottle (Krupp Brothers Estates) to $200/bottle (Lokoya) and also included La Jota, Ladera, Spring Mountain Vineyards, Brandlin and our hosts, Dyer and Cain.

High above the Valley floor, these AVAs share climatic similarities that their lower elevation counterparts. More specifically, the mountain appellations are above the fog, which rolls in every morning and thus, these grapes receive more sunlight and a warmer overnight temperature. The result of these conditions are wines with a darkness and intensity to them — dark cherries — and tannins that are well polished. The most planted grape in these areas tends to be Cabernet Sauvignon and similarly, Bordeaux-style blends, in which Cabernet Sauvignon plays a significant role. However, we did taste a Syrah, as well.