AVA - Napa Valley (Coombsville)
Shikon Vineyard is planted in well-drained, decomposed rocky soil; the vines are
clone 2 on 110R rootstock. Vines are the closely spaced (4' x 5') and typically
yield around 3 tons per acre. It is south facing on a 20%-30% slope which ensures
ripening, even in cooler years like 2005. Because the vineyard is so small, we don't
have a lot of fruit but what we get should be phenomenal. We are so happy with the
site that we are currently working with the owner to graft over all of the non-cab
to cab and so we expect to dramatically increase production in the next couple of
years.
The Coombsville wine region is located east of the town of Napa. The region is part
of the proposed Tulocay AVA which has a distinctive climate from the rest of Napa
Valley.
The average rainfall in Coombsville is about 25 inches a year. This is at the low
end of the broader Napa Valley AVA. It is a region II on the UC Davis Heat Summation
Scale. During the 1960s, vineyards began to be planted in the region’s moderate
climate. Bordeaux varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet
Franc, are the most planted grapes in the region.
The sloping, hilly terrain of the Coombsville region is made of well drained, volcanic
soils., much of the ground is made of lava flows from an eruption of Mount George
millions of years ago. Because the soil does not retain water well, it is quite
“hot” during summer. This makes the area well suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, which
needs warm soils to fully ripen.