Inman Family

As a third-generation Napa Valley native, it’s no surprise that Kathleen developed an interest in wine. However, it wasn’t until she attended a wine tasting seminar as a college student at UC Santa Barbara that she took an active interest in her revered grape: Pinot Noir. When she returned home to Napa in the summer before her junior year, she took a job at Napa Creek Winery, which was a small startup winery on the Silverado Trail. At Napa Creek Winery, she had the opportunity to lead tours and perform various tasks in the cellar. This video shows that her love of gardening began at an early age when she helped her father in their home garden and her grandmother in her garden and orchard.

In developing our Olivet Grange vineyard, we preserved the majestic oak trees that grace the property and avoided sterilizing the soil, in order to maintain its natural ecology. Today, we use only organic fertilizers in the vineyard. Among these is “Four- Course Compost,” so named because it derives from table scraps discarded by high-end San Francisco restaurants and hotels such as The Slanted Door, Boulevard, The Fairmount, Farallon, Hotel Nikko, Jardinière, Lulu, Michael Mina, Tadich Grill, and the Westin St. Francis. Recently, San Francisco households have been able to contribute their food scraps to the program by curbside collection with bio-diesel fueled fueled trucks. In addition to being a nutrient-rich alternative to synthetic fertilizers, the gourmet compost helps us form a perfect loop from table to earth and back again, in the form of sustainably produced wines that enhance the meals providing the raw materials to renew the cycle. Our use of this compost has been featured in Fortune Magazine, on NBC Nightly News, local SF television and on a Discovery Channel program called “Green Planet.”

We also use worm castings, obtained from Sonoma Valley Worm Farm, to create an easily assimilated bio-fertilizer rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. The castings enhance the soil’s ability to absorb atmospheric moisture, aiding water economy and aeration. The castings are brewed to form microbial teas through our drip irrigation system. These are applied three times a year, the teas introduce a diverse spectrum of beneficial microorganisms that improve soil and plant health and aid the vines’ natural resistance to pests and disease. All of these products are certified organic.

To further promote a healthy ecosystem, we have planted permanent cover crops, which have the side benefit of producing higher quality grapes by forcing the vines to compete for water and soil nutrients, resulting in smaller berries with more concentrated flavors. (Close vine spacing – 6’x 4’ in our vineyard – also promotes more flavorful grapes.)

Once cover crops are established, simple mowing keeps the vineyard tidy and well-groomed. Because there is no tilling of the soil, the vineyard requires less use of fossil fuel for tractor use, and its population of earthworms is preserved. Cover crops also mitigate soil erosion from wind and rain and serve as habitats for beneficial insects that feed on vine pests such as mites and leafhoppers, minimizing the use of pesticides.

Since 2002, we have used only organic fungicides (sulfur, Serenade, Sonata and organic Stylet oil). Our weeds are removed manu- ally. In 2005 we began to augment our organic farming with some biodynamic farming techniques, namely using the lunar calendar to make decisions on pruning, thinning, and harvest. However, because our farm is relatively small it would be difficult for us to create a totally closed system (raising the food for animals which would then supply the manure for the many prescribed prepara- tions), and therefore we are unlikely to ever be biodynamically certifiable. Instead, we simply refer to ourselves as “lunatics”! 

The key to quality winemaking is harvesting properly ripened fruit. Unlike many California wineries today that strive for maximum concentration and power (a trend inspired largely by a few influential wine critics), we do not let our grapes hang on the vine past the point of ripeness. Over-ripeness produces wines that are overly alcoholic and low in acidity. In order to achieve balance in such wines, winemakers must literally water down the must (the unfermented juice and skins) or reduce the wine’s alcohol through mechanical processes. They also must add large amounts of acid. These practices are increasingly common in California (as is the use of enzymes during fermentation to enhance volatile aromas and mouth-feel), and result in manipulated, over-worked wines which, while they may deliver heft and richness, lack nuance, subtlety, charm and varietal clarity.

This is a particularly important issue with Pinot Noir, a variety whose range of enchanting cherry, berry, pomegranate, and potpourri herbal scents (tea leaf, lavender, dried rose) are easily sacrificed to over-ripeness, which also can compromise Pinot Noir’s complex, delicate flavors, and supple tannins. While some California producers rationalize their use of overripe fruit as a means of avoiding Pinot Noir’s herbal/forest floor aromas (often disparaged as “greenness”), such characteristics are, in fact, typical of the medium range of ripeness in the variety and are qualities prized by the French. Conversely, Burgundian vintners typically find the raisiny, pruny flavors found in many California Pinot Noirs to be inappropriate and disagreeable.

Because the Russian River appellation enjoys a long, cool growing season that allows for steady, even ripening, our estate Pinot Noir grapes achieve full ripeness at moderate sugar levels and with healthy natural acidity, enabling us to produce rich, fresh, balanced wines of moderate alcohol that we believe reflect the variety’s true range of aromas and flavors and beautifully complement a wide range of cuisines.

Once our fruit is brought into the winery, we treat it as gently as possible. Wine movements where possible are made via gravity or they are pushed using inert gas. We prefer natural clarification to excessive fining or filtration, although if filtration is required we are not opposed to using it if it will enhance the quality of the wine. However, all filtering is done using crossflow which is not only gentler on the wine, but gentler on the environment as it uses reusable ceramic membranes rather than mined diatomaceous earth, which also creates landfill waste and environmental issues after its use. In short, at Inman Family Wines, we endeavor to make our wines as naturally as possible, with as little human intervention as possible, to ensure they embody not only the pure personality of the grapes from which they’re made, but also the singular character of the place where they’re born.