Dear Davies and Schramsberg Club Members,
Harvest greetings from all of us at Schramsberg and Davies Vineyards amidst our 60th Anniversary Year! In this seminal year, we are indebted to Jacob and Anna Schram for founding this extraordinary hillside vineyard and winery in 1862. And of course, we are so grateful for Jack and Jamie Davies, who breathed new, sparkling life into the property in 1965. Six decades later, the vision of our founders has evolved to include 40 different sparkling and red wines annually, produced from 600 acres of vineyard farmed on some of the most exciting sites along California’s North Coast.
Our committed team members and associated partners share a relentless commitment and passion to take on the challenges and opportunities that each vintage brings. This fall, we single out Beth Wagner, long-time Club Manager and Executive Assistant, who retired in August after 45 of our business’ 60 years. Where would we be today without her grace and dedication? Thank you, Beth!!!
We count our blessings, we love what we do, and we give appreciation to our club members and customers who have popped our bottles and supported our efforts for generations. This year, we thank you as well for joining our celebrations across the country and here in Napa Valley. And we’ve got three more months of activity to go! We look forward to raising a glass with you all soon in California, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Texas, Michigan, New York, Florida, and elsewhere across the country. Here’s to 60 years!!
In the meantime, we are thrilled to present our October shipments. First up is the inaugural “Hugh & Monique Collection” package, which delivers a combination of two Davies red and two Schramsberg sparkling wines. This specially curated collection includes the limited production 2021 Criscione Vineyard St. Helena Cabernet, representing a vineyard nestled in the Crystal Springs area below the west-facing volcanic slopes of the Vaca Range’s Howell Mountain. Also inserted here is the eleventh vintage (2022) of our Davies Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, crafted from roughly half mountain and half valley floor fruit, with touches of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc giving additional depth and balance. On the sparkling side of the collection, two bottles have been selected. The newly released 2016 J. Schram Blancs, our “Tete de Cuvee” Brut Chardonnay, features the Wilkinson Carneros, Dutton and Keefer Russian River Valley, and Stevens Marin vineyards. This bottling, from a low-yielding vintage, presents the classic brûlée and custard notes mingled with vibrant apple, just-ripening pear and lively citrus flavors. Lastly, the racy, tart, primarily Chardonnay-based 2021 Querencia Brut Rosé will be a crowd pleaser with its lifted, tangy, red berry profile. Proceeds from the sale of the Querencia Rosé continue to provide principal support for the great work of the Jack L. Davies Napa Agricultural Preservation Fund: www.jldagfund.org.
Meanwhile, our Jack & Jamie’s Circle members are in for a treat this quarter, as each will receive a bottle of the crown jewel in our Davies red program, the 2021 “Jamie” Cabernet Sauvignon, two bottles of the 2022 “J. Davies” Cabernet Sauvignon and one bottle of the 2023 Nobles Vineyard Ft. Ross-Seaview Pinot Noir. The 2021 “Jamie”, assembled from just the top 13 J. Davies Estate Diamond Mountain barrels of the vintage, is aged for four years prior to release. Bursting, dense and plush today, this wine will “cellar” well for decades. The 2022 “J. Davies” bottling, representing the second 40 barrels from our Diamond Mountain home property, carries our signature dark berry concentration and spice, accented with touches of Malbec, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Nobles Vineyard, planted at 1,100 feet above sea level, two ridges in from the ocean in northwest Sonoma County, is one of the most singular sites in our portfolio. Initially planted by the Nobles Family in the 1990s, the remote vineyard’s coastal influence and gently sloping soils have produced buoyant, generous Pinot Noir for us since 2009.
The broader Davies Club membership gets a bottle each of the aforementioned 2022 J. Davies Estate Diamond Mountain Cabernet and 2023 Nobles Ft. Ross – Seaview Pinot.
Switching gears, on the sparkling side of our portfolio, our Riddler’s Circle October package carries six bottles, two each of the 2016 J. Schram Blancs and 2021 Querencia Brut Rosé referenced above in the Hugh & Monique Collection, along with two special selections from our Schramsberg sparkling library: the 2014 “Hyde Vineyard” and 2015 “Schwarze Vineyard” Carneros Blanc de Blancs. These bottlings, one vintage apart, represent opposing sides of the Carneros Creek as it meanders from the base of the Mayacamas Range towards the Napa River and San Pablo Bay. These sites, farmed by two longtime Napa grape growing families, have played key roles in our sparkling program for 30 years, representing the best of the dark, loamy soils of Napa’s breezy, maritime Las Amigas / Bayview pocket. At 10-11 years of age, these bottles still have many years of additional aging potential.
To our larger Schramsberg Cellar Club membership, we will deliver one bottle of our 2016 J. Schram Blancs and one bottle of our 2021 Querencia Brut Rosé.
Again, our family and crew offer sincere gratitude to you all. We very much appreciate our club members and fans who make it possible for us to pursue our craft dating back to 1965. We look forward to raising a glass with you in these last few months of our Diamond Anniversary year! Life is so good!
Hugh and Monique Davies