Wolf Family Vineyards thirty acre estate hosts 6.75 acres of vineyard land. Expertly managed by Jim Barbour, each vineyard occupies a unique and advantageous location within the estate which runs east to west in a narrow rectangular shape. Located within the St. Helena Appellation, the property begins in the foothills of the Mayacamas Range to the west and ends toward the east where the rolling topography begins to level out. Bordered and bisected by natural springs, several creeks, wooded areas and hilly terrain, the park like estate is a natural habitat for wildlife. Mountain lions, wild boar, deer, fish, and song birds are regular visitors.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The Cabernet Sauvignon is grown at the easternmost end of the property and was planted in 1996. Just 4.5 acres, the gently sloping vineyard uses 4 by 6 spacing and is grown on Schwartzman rootstock. Clones 7 and 337 were utilized equally to introduce diversity and complexity to the 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Soils are gravelly in nature with clay loam. The vineyard enjoys low vigor and produces loose clusters yielding less than 3 tons per acre or around 12 tons per year. This vineyard is the sole source of the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and is also used in the Cabernet Franc blend. The inaugural vintage of this wine was the 1999.
Cabernet Franc
The Cabernet Franc was planted in the late 1970s and remains the last vineyard from that era on the Estate. Occupying 3/4 of an acre, the provenance of the clone and rootstock are unknown. With a north south orientation, extra wide spacing and a divided canopy, the vineyard reflects the grape growing ideals of the 1970s. With narrow sun exposure, the vineyard is located on the southwestern side of the property, in the rolling terrain at the base of the Mayacamas Range surrounded by oak trees. The vines erratically produce 1 to 3 tons per acre of small berries and loose clusters leading to a richly perfumed, lavishly textured, complex wine. Treasured for the grape growing history it represents; this vineyard is the source of Wolf Family Vineyards' first wine produced in 1997.
Sauvignon Blanc
Tres Hermanos Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is grown on a narrow hill that spans the mid-width of the estate and consists of gravelly, clay loam soils. Between one half and two thirds of an acre, the vineyard consists of 60% the Sauvignon Musque clone and 40% of the Sauvignon Blanc 1 clone. Formerly Merlot, the vineyard was replanted to Sauvignon Blanc in 2000 on 420A rootstock with 4 by 6 spacing. Because of this close spacing, the vineyard has low per acre yield, small berries and very loose clusters. Picking this vineyard early provides fresh, expressive aromatics and a lively palate.
Bordeaux Varietals
In a site north of the Cabernet Franc vineyard and on the western end of the property is one acre that was planted in 1999 to Bordeaux varietals using 3309 rootstock. The intention for these varietals is for use as blending components. At this time, the Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec are picked and fermented separately. These very small lots are utilized in special bottlings and are under evaluation for future use in the WFV estate wines.
