Bruadair Vineyards
The Bruadair Vineyard, sitting at about a 1600 foot elevation on Mt. Veeder, is one of the “great” Cabernet appellations of the Napa Valley. Chris Carpenter always reiterated to me the power and focus of Mt. Veeder, and it is for that reason that I decided to source fruit for -of the matter- from there when presented with the opportunity. In fact, much of the management of both of my sourced vineyards has been done with Chris’ insight, and the day to day operations being overseen by Mariano Navarro, the former vineyard manager of Cardinale and Lokoya.
"Mount Veeder AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA among the Mayacamas Mountains. The boundaries of this appellation include 25 sq mi with 1,000 acres planted on thin volcanic soil. Many vineyards are found on the steep mountain face - some as steep as 30°. The steepness of the angle gives the vineyards benefits of more direct sunlight and better drainage. The unique sense of place, or terroir of Mount Veeder AVA produces wines that are typically powerful in structure - depending on how they are made and how the vines are tended. For example, Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the mountain commonly shows "briary" flavors, moderate to bold tannins and herbal, floral aromatics. With the increasing interest in wine in America, wines grown in sub-appellation AVA's such as Mount Veeder are gaining recognition for their individual sense of terroir."*
*Source - Wikipedia