Schramsberg Vineyards – Sparkling Wine and More in the Napa Valley

A BIT OF HISTORY

As the second winery in the Napa Valley, Schramsberg is bubbling with history. It began in 1862 when Jacob Schram, a German immigrant and barber by trade, purchased 200 acres of land on Diamond Mountain in the Napa Valley. He planted 30,000 vines from European varietals and built a home on the land for his wife, Annie. In 1870, Schram took advantage of the surplus of Chinese laborers in the San Francisco area (they had just completed building the Transcontinental Railway) and employed them to dig Napa’s first caves to age and store the wines. Because the volcanic rock was so soft, they couldn’t use explosives and had to dig the caves by hand. In 1879, Schramsberg produced 5,500 cases of wine (Riesling, Hock, Burgundy and Chasselas). When Jacob passed away in 1905, his son, Herman, took over. Herman sold the property in 1920 at the beginning of Prohibition. From 1920 to 1965, the property saw five different owners. In 1965, Jack and Jamie Davies purchased the property with the goal of producing sparkling wine in the French style (the traditional méthode champenoise). Their goal involved more than just wine production – they wanted to change the way Americans viewed sparkling wine. The Davies set out to make “America’s most prestigious, select and admired sparkling wine.”

The Davies’ innovation and notable achievements earned them praise and recognition throughout the world. Their 1965 Blanc de Blancs was the first commercial use of Chardonnay (from the Charles Krug winery) in sparkling wine. Their 1967 Blanc de Noir used Pinot Noir grapes. In 1968, they introduced Cuvée de Gamay and Brut Rosé, and in 1972 they introduced Crémant Demi-Sec.  That same year, Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs made its debut at a state dinner hosted by President Richard Nixon in Beijing, China. Since 1972, Schramsberg wines have been served by every subsequent presidential administration and have been enjoyed by visiting dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth II, Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev, King Juan Carlos of Spain, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

In 1996, Jack and Jamie’s son, Hugh, joined Schramsberg and the winery produced its first red Bordeaux style wines. Jack passed away in 1998 and Jamie passed away in 2008. Hugh, as President and CEO, carries on with the same ambition and innovation as his parents. In addition to producing award-winning sparkling wines, Schramsberg is a model of agricultural land preservation and conservation. In 2009, Schramsberg received certification as a Napa Green Winery and in 2010 they completed their installation of a 1,655-panel solar power system.

THE EXPERIENCE

Schramsberg offers tastings in conjunction with an educational tour through the caves. John and I visited Schramsberg on a Thursday with our friends, Garrett and Kasia. We pulled into the visitor parking lot facing three buildings nestled among the hills. The administrative offices and production are on the right - there’s a 1957 Historical Landmark designation by one of the cellar doors. In the middle is the beautiful yellow Victorian house and pond. To the left is the Visitor’s Center and winery.

After checking in, we wandered through the lobby looking at the photos, news articles and bottles. Towards the back of the lobby is the “celebrity wall of fame” with pictures and letters from the various state dinners and events that featured Schramsberg wines. There’s also a photo of Jacob Schram with the Beringer Brothers and Charles Krug – talk about Napa history.

There were 10 visitors on the tour. Our wine educator and tour guide, Donia, personally greeted each and every one of us. She began the tour in the lobby with a history of the winery. From the lobby, we went directly into the caves. The caves were cool and dark, with lichens (a fungus and alga combination) covering the walls and ceiling. Stacks of bottles and wooden riddling racks lined both sides of the tunnels.

At the end of the first tunnel, Donia showed a map of the vineyards and their varietals. She also took us through the process of making sparkling wine. Our next stop was at the wall of sparkling wine. At Schramsberg, sparkling wines are bottled and aged in the caves for a minimum of 2 ½ years. The bottles are arranged neck-to-neck and each wall is made from 4,000 bottles.

 

Donia talked about riddling and showed us a picture of Ramon Viera, their master riddler, at work. Riddling is the process of angling and turning the bottles so that the sediment collects in the neck of the bottle.  Schramsberg riddles 80% of their sparkling wines by hand every day – that’s approximately 60,000 bottles each day for six-to-eight weeks. Ramon has been riddling for more than 30 years and can turn an entire rack (front and back) in nine seconds!

After the riddling is complete, the bottles go to the disgorgement line where the sediment is expelled and the bottles are corked. The disgorgement room was in use during our tour and we weren’t able to go in due to safety issues – when the glycol bath freezes the sediment, the pressure shoots the plug out at 70mph. Instead of dodging flying sediment plugs, we went straight to the tasting.

Donia took us into a private room with two tables set up for all 10 guests. Each table setting contained five glasses, a price list of current releases, a sheet for tasting notes, a wine club invitation, and a holiday catalog with more details about the wines, unique bottle sizes, gift sets and gift ideas. A plate of crackers sat in the middle of each table. A basket of crackers or bread has become a rare sight in tasting rooms lately. It may seem like a nit, but as a taster, I want a palette cleanser nearby – and sometimes I just to snack on something to help with the buzz I get from the wine (since I believe it’s a sin to spit). It was nice to see that the Schramsberg team thought about it and included crackers as part of the tasting experience.

 

Our tasting included four sparkling wines (2007 Blanc de Blancs, 2003 J. Schram, 2007 Brut Rosé and 2001 Reserve) and one still wine (2007 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon). After demonstrating the proper way to open a bottle of sparkling wine, Donia asked us to look at color of each wine and to smell the aromas before tasting. She also talked about what to look for in quality sparkling wines including the “string of pearls” – the tiny, tight and fast rising bubbles.  My favorite line of the day was “The bigger the bubble, the bigger the trouble”. If you’re pouring Andre sparkling wine, chances are pretty good that you’ll see some big bubbles.

My favorite wines from the tasting were the Blanc de Blancs, the Brut Rosé and the J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2007 Blanc de Blancs was crisp, refreshing and light, with biscuit and pear aromas. I love a sparkling Rosé and the Schramsberg Brut Rosé did not disappoint me. The light pink, almost salmon, color gave way to aromas of strawberries, roses and apricots.  People often think of a sparkling rosé as a sweet wine. The Schramsberg Brut Rosé is a dry sparkling wine.  With less residual sugar and with hints of citrus and cantaloupe flavors, it was the most flexible and food friendly wine in the tasting. The J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon, named for Jack Davies, was a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot.  With its deep color and strong aromas of cherry and black current, we expected a big tannic wine. Instead, we got a softer, silkier and balanced wine with berry and cherry flavors. It’s a perfect wine to pair with a nice cheese plate.

 After the tasting, Donia took us back into winery to see the disgorgement line while the workers were on a break. The room was amazing. With machinery to freeze the neck, disgorge the sediment plug and cap the bottle, the line handles 400 bottles in four minutes. Donia finished the tour at the gift shop so that we could make our wine purchases and she left to start another tour.

The Schramsberg tour and tasting was one of the best winery experiences I’ve had. From the start, Donia was warm and welcoming. She had great energy and kept the tour moving at a good pace. Additionally, the information that Donia shared and the stories she told were really interesting. The other guests in our tour helped to elevate the experience. At some tours, people stay in their own groups and don’t talk to anyone else. This group was outgoing and engaging. We talked and joked throughout the tour and tasting – it felt like one unified group instead of four groups of strangers.

TOURS AND TIDBITS

Schramsberg offers five scheduled tours / tastings each day ($40 per person) by appointment only. Tours / tastings run approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. Reservations may be made on the Schramsberg website or by calling the winery directly.

OTHER DETAILS

Schramsberg Vineyards

1400 Schramsberg Road, Calistoga, CA 94515

707.942.4558

Wine tasting / tours by reservation: 10:00am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:30pm daily.