We’re winding down Earth Week this weekend. Our family appreciates all of the wonderful messages we’ve received this past week celebrating our 50th anniversary, which we happily share this year with Earth Day!

 

Over the past week, we’ve shared some of our accomplishments over the last 50 years, and also shared some of the aspects of how we approach sustainability on our vineyards and in the winery. We used to muse with our dad that there really is no finish line when it comes to what we do … farming, making wine, running a multi-generational family business. You carry on, do what’s necessary while it’s your turn, and leave things better for the next generation that comes along. There’s no such thing as ‘being done’. There’s always something that can be done better, some system that can be improved, and in the winery, there’s always something that can be cleaned!

 

As I mentioned above, this is what we do, not what we’re doing. For myself, several brothers, and now the beginning of the third generation, this is what we do full time. We spend a lot of our time in our vineyards, our cellar, on the crush pad, on the bottling line. Our kids come to the vineyard and winery, we entertain family and friends. Our dogs run through the vineyards. Our dad lived on the property for many years. I mentioned this to try to share our perspective. Monticello Vineyards is not just a place where we run our family business, it’s a place where we live our lives. We’re highly motivated to protect the place where we spend so much of our collective time.

 

While we practice sustainable and responsible farming on all of our vineyards, two of our vineyards are currently Certified Organic, and one of those is registered in the Napa Green program.

 

Our State Lane Vineyard in Yountville was the first of our vineyards to be Certified Organic. This vineyard has a storied past, it was an important site in Beringer’s profile for years. We were fortunate to be able to purchase a 15 acre portion of the original vineyard in 198-. This vineyard is currently planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, and is the source for our CORLEY ‘State Lane Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon. Each year this wine is a favorite with our wine club members and fans of the winery. Rich, robust, and ageworthy, and made from organically grown grapes!

 

Our Knollwood Vineyard in Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley is also organically certified, and has the added distinction of being a Napa Green Vineyard. On the Knollwood Vineyard, we grow the grapes for our MONTICELLO ‘Estate Grown’ Merlot, and our MONTICELLO ‘Estate Grown’ Syrah. Each of these wines are wonderful expressions of these grapes, the Merlot is round and supple, with expressive berry aromatics. Our Syrah is robust and spicy, with medium weight tannins and a long finish.

 

I’ll note that the wines made from these organically certified vineyards are not ‘organic wine’, but are rather classified as ‘wine made from organically grown grapes’.

I hope that you can enjoy a glass of one of these wines sometime soon, either in the comfort of your own home or someday in the future when we are able to reopen our visitor center.

 

Cheers,

Chris Corley

 

For more information on Earth Day, please visit

 

For more information on California Certified Organic Farmers, please visit :

 

For more information on the Napa Green program, please visit :

 

For information on how to sign up for one of our Wine Clubs, please visit www.corleyfamilynapavalley.com/Wine-Club