Million Air Winter 2022

DISCOVER

etr li at ve eler WINTER 2022/23 60

The Elusa private wine library at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa in Calistoga

Wine by Elin McCoy

TAKE TWO// BEST OF NAPA

The sustainable harvest

1. 2019 Trefethen Chardonnay Fresh and vibrant, the winery’s Chardonnay was its fi rst international success. In 1979, at a huge tasting in France put on by the Gault & Millau Guide, the 1976 Trefethen was judged “the best Chardonnay in the world.” This vintage is crisp and light, with lemon and green apple notes. $30, trefethen.com 2. 2018 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Long committed to the environment, this biodynamic winery is one of Napa’s best, with wonderfully elegant, medium-bodied cabernet blends. The intense fl oral and earth aromas and layered bright blackberry and mineral fl avors in this vintage add up to a stunning wine for now, or to age for the future. $245, spottswoode.com

Silver Oak winery

Picture Napa Valley in harvest season: Between undulating rows of vines, grape pickers drop heavy bunches of ripe cabernet sauvignon into colorful boxes. Cellars humwith jazzy music and the bubbling sounds of purple juice turning into wine. The sweet smell of fermentation hovers in the air like wine perfume. Parties brimwith organic garden-to-table food. Visiting California’s best-known wine region during harvest season is always exciting — especially now. The devastating 2020 wild fi res were yet another climate change alert, pushing top wineries to accelerate ways to cut greenhouse gases, conserve water, and take healing the earth seriously. Among those achieving organic vineyard

winery worked with Texas environmental fi rm Earthly Labs on a carbon-capture pilot program that turns the CO2 released during fermentation into a liquid, and stores it for reuse. And this year, it won the California Green Medal Environment Award. The winery’s hands-on, daylong September harvest event is just one of many chances to experience sustainability in the valley. Naturally, you can eat and sleep green in luxe surroundings, too. The minimalist Bardessono Hotel and Spa has long been a top sustainability stop. The brand-new Four Seasons Resort and Residences in Calistoga adds another dimension with its on-site organic Elusa winery and vineyard headed by superstar winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. Eco-consciousness shines at the new Stanly Ranch, with dreamy standalone cottages and suites. Set on more than 700 acres of stunning ranch land and vineyards at the southern end of the valley, it uses recycled water, and is landscaped with local plants to reduce water use. The restaurant chef gives tours around the organic garden, or you can request exclusive visits, including biodynamic treks. Time to pack your bags for the next harvest.

Cellars humwith jazzy music and the bubbling sounds of purple juice turning into wine certi fi cation last year is Dominus, the Napa estate of Bordeaux winemaker Christian Moueix. One sustainability catalyst has been Napa Green. Founded in 2004 by the Napa Valley Vintners, the program is now a nonpro fi t helping wineries focus on climate action, regenerative farming and social equity. It has awarded certi fi cation for eco-e ff orts to nearly 25% of the county’s wineries. Organic and biodynamic pioneers Spottswoode and Grgich Hills, for example, recently switched to lighter weight-glass wine bottles to reduce their carbon footprints. Head out on a tour of Silver Oak, and you’ll see the world’s fi rst winery to achieve Platinum Level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) status from the US Green Building Council for an existing building. Last year, solar-powered Trefethen

Stanly Ranch

Photos Damion Hamilton, Kim Carroll, Robert McClenahan