Mt. Brave Wines

High atop Mt. Veeder, breathtaking views evoke a quiet rapture, an appreciation requiring no further explanation or comment. Mt. Veeder speaks for itself. The respect for the land held by the Wappo, "The Brave Ones," who first called the mountain home, still resonates. Among these rugged canyons and isolated valleys are iconic vineyards producing wines of such instantly recognizable character that they could only come from one very special place.

Wine has been crafted from Mt. Veeder soils since the early 1860s. Along with other Napa winemaking pioneers such as Charles Krug and Agoston Haraszthy, Captain Stalham Wing, who arrived on Mt. Veeder in 1853, showed the first Mt. Veeder wine at the Napa County Fair in 1864.

For 150 years, determined winegrowers were moving forward where many thought the conditions too severe, too extreme, and too lacking in promise. The land that is now home to Mt. Brave was originally purchased in 1841, before the Gold Rush forever changed California and two decades before the Civil War.

Winegrowing on Mt. Veeder is not for the timid. The usual practices must be forgotten at high elevations, where thin soils barely hold water, and rocky terrain challenges both rootstock and man. Winter rains must be captured, and erosion prevented. Often, a spade, a pick, a shovel, and determination are the hallmarks that bring things back to basics, where rewards come from hard manual labor.

A selection of four Cabernet Sauvignon clones (191, 4, 8, and 337) and three rootstocks (3309C, 101-14, and 1103P) have been chosen to meet the challenges of mountain winegrowing. Soils are sparse, a gravelly loam with rocks large and small. Nutrients and minerals are scant, resulting in tiny berries with concentrated and complex flavors.

At harvest, small lug boxes must be carefully moved up and down steep slopes to protect both vines and vineyard workers. The work is hard and labor-intensive. Little mechanized modern technology is found here.

The growing season on Mt. Veeder moves slowly, with harvest here stretching into November, another reminder of how extreme the challenge, but how rewarding the results can be.