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Winemaker’s Journal: Jump Rock Ranch

Late last year, Silver Oak added a fabulous mountain vineyard to our stable of estate vineyards in the Napa Valley. Named Jump Rock, the vineyard is located in the Atlas Peak area to the east of a flat-topped mountain known as the Haystack. The Haystack dominates the eastern view from our Oakville winery and is a local landmark. Although this area is parallel to Oakville, the climate is completely different. It is cooler in the spring, so budbreak is frequently two weeks later. At this elevation, the vineyard is usually clear when the valley below is foggy, windy when the valley floor is calm. The soils are very infertile, limiting vine vigor and producing wines of great concentration and color.

“Silver Oak has a long and productive history with fruit from this part of the Napa Valley.” Silver Oak has a long and productive history with fruit from this part of the Napa Valley. In 1991, our co-founder, Justin Meyer, was approached by veteran viticulturist Doug Hill about sourcing Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from a vineyard named Briarstone that Doug had just planted in a previously undeveloped area. It was the old familiar story – everyone told Doug he was crazy to plant in that hardscrabble mix of rocks and red dirt. The county soil maps didn’t even classify the soil – it was described as rocky outcroppings. But when Justin went up to Briarstone and tasted the fruit, he was immediately sold, and this vineyard became one of the top sources of fruit for our Napa Valley blend.

Ten years later, after the area had gained significant renown for the quality of its wines, Doug was contracted to develop a vineyard on a neighboring property and he took on the task with his usual thoroughness. This is the ranch that was to become Jump Rock. When there was fruit available for sale, he once again contacted us, and based on our experience in the area, we purchased the entire 2006 production of Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was extraordinary – among the best of the vintage – with deep color, rich full-bodied flavor and great expression of blackberry fruit. When the property became available for purchase, we jumped at the opportunity, to borrow a phrase.

Next time you visit us in Oakville, be sure to look east for a view of the Haystack, and imagine the vineyard just beyond. The extraordinary fruit it yields is sure to be an essential component of our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for years to come.

Daniel Baron, Winemaker