Sugarloaf Mountain East™
Napa Valley
Sugarloaf Mountain East™ offers a unique terroir for Bordeaux varietals in the Napa Valley. Unlike warmer vineyards up-valley, the climate of Sugarloaf naturally provides a longer hang-time resulting in profound color and flavor intensity. Combined with a southwestern exposure and a rock-laden soil harvesting the sun’s energy, this extraordinary terroir delivers the exceptional ripeness necessary for both the power and complexity required of great Cabernet- and Merlot-based wines.
Sugarloaf Mountain East is located at the southern end of the Napa Valley, a location that was once believed too cool to properly ripen Bordeaux varietals. This “on the edge” existence, combined with a site specific solar radiation described below, allows Sugarloaf Mountain to produce ripe and intense wines with full phenolic ripeness. With vines literally growing our of rock outcroppings, Sugarloaf Mountain contains unique solar radiation phenomenon that allows heat energy to be captured during the day and then released back into the vineyard at night. This phenomenon is a result of the massive amount of rock that exists throughout the vineyard, which acts as one large solar collector during the day and a radiator of heat at night.
Summary Vineyard Data
| AVA | Napa Valley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Acres | 185.9 planted (320 gross acres) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Varietals | Cabernet Sauvignon (53.8 acres), Cabernet Franc (36.4 acres), Merlot (85.8 acres), Pinot Noir (2.2 acres), Syrah (7.7 acres) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Climate Data |
Region II climate classification: • Heat summation: 2,700 to 2,900 annual degree days • Rainfall: Rainfall: 23.8 inches average per year |
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| Soils | Bale clay loam with Hambright rock outcrop complex. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blocks / Parcels | 46 blocks (ranging from 0.2 to 13.1 acres) / 4 parcels | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vine Density |
968 vines per acre (1.53 x 2.75 m) 2,074 vines per acre (1.07 x 1.83 m) 2,165 vines per acre (1.07 x 1.76 m) |
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| Trellis | Vertical Shoot Positioning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clones & Rootstocks |
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| Slope / Row Direction | 5° to 30° slopes / mostly northeast-southwest and east-west | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Planting History |
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