PERLISS ESTATE VINEYARDS

California

THE PLACE - The Ravens Vineyard, Calistoga AVA, is set on our family property at the northern-most end of Napa Valley, where the Mayacamas and Vaca mountain ranges converge. Mount St. Helena looms behind the 2.6 acre vineyard, planted on a knoll surrounded by forest of oaks, manzanita and madrone. Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, and Ravens circle in the warm air currents above the property.

Vineyard rows mount a slope comprised of volcanic, rocky and loamy soil with excellent drainage. Calistoga's temperature shifts are the most extreme in Napa: 24-hour temperatures can range over forty degrees, as cool nights and foggy mornings are followed by dry, sunny days. The vineyard's natural orientation allows for even fruit ripening throughout the growing season and shaded projection when the sun is at its most intense. Winds from the Sonoma coast provide cooling air-flow across the property.

Low-vigor rootstock was planted in 2008 with the See clone grafted the following year. The closely-planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines are organically farmed and cane-pruned. Birds, bats, ladybugs and a retired racing Greyhound help keep the vineyard pest-free.

THE PEOPLE - Winemaker Aaron Pott’s international experience has led him to value the particularities of each vineyard. He claims not to have a style of winemaking, rather an approach by which the full, individual character of each vineyard is naturally expressed. Trained in viticulture as well as oenology, Aaron understands that the health of a vineyard translates directly to the wine. His non-interventionist techniques are perfectly suited for The Ravens Vineyard, which fits so naturally into the landscape and produces such ideal fruit he has said the wine practically makes itself. Nonetheless, he strictly monitors the vineyard throughout the growing season, ensuring that all phases, from pruning to harvesting, occur at their optimal moment.

To grow sound vines, Aaron works closely with Piña Vineyard Management, another family-run operation, whose team of quality specialists oversees The Ravens Vineyard. They created it together with Aaron, establishing one of the first vineyards he developed from its inception. Piña Vineyard Management farms the vineyard organically, tending the vines by hand throughout the seasons and during harvest. Their practical expertise and design sense are apparent in all of their vineyard development and maintenance projects.

The Perliss Family has lived on the property for over 25 years and is involved in all aspects of this venture.

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