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theCompass mobile application is a winery, brewery, and distillery locator for North America. |
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Stony Hill Vineyard
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When Fred and Eleanor McCrea fell in love with and bought a 160-acre goat ranch on the northeast slope of Spring Mountain in 1943, little did they envision a “Stony Hill Vineyard…visitors by appointment only” sign at the bend in the road. Yet sixty years later, the sign hangs there as a testament to their passionate dedication to producing the quality wines that Stony Hill still proudly offers. The property sits on the western slope of the Napa Valley between Richie Creek to the north and Lyman Creek to the south. Moderating climatic influences such as northeast-facing slopes and an elevation between 400 and 800 feet above the valley floor make this mild microclimate an ideal location for growing premium Chardonnay grapes. Vineyard planting began in 1947, when the McCreas were able to buy a used tractor and hire people to work full time in the vineyard. They wanted to plant Chardonnay exclusively, because they loved the white wine of Burgundy and believed that Stony Hill offered the potential for growing fine quality white Burgundy grapes. At least they wanted to experiment. But the University of California viticulturists encouraged them to diversify because only 200 acres of Chardonnay grapes were planted in California at that time, it was a shy-bearing grape, disease-prone, and not well-known to the wine-drinking public. They suggested planting Pinot Blanc and White Riesling. But Eleanor and Fred followed their intuition and planted mostly Chardonnay vines. The makeup of the vineyards today reflects their determination, with twenty-five acres of Chardonnay, ten acres of White Riesling, three acres of Gewurztraminer, and one acre of Semillon. In 1952 Fred and Eleanor completed a small winery on the property, the first new winery built in the Napa Valley after Prohibition, and they produced their first commercial vintage of Chardonnay that same year. They began marketing their wine through a personal letter to their Bay Area friends. Fifty-one years later this annual mailer is still our primary mode of marketing. To this day we sell our wines only to individuals who have asked to have their names put on our mailing list, and to a few select restaurants in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and several other metropolitan areas across the United States.
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SHV Chardonnay
Here is the Napa Valley’s best buy in Chardonnay! Our SHV Chardonnay is made from grapes from our youngest vines, and while it won’t have the longevity of our estate Chardonnay, its modest price tag and fruity essence will show you why our SHV is such a bargain. Palest straw in color, this wine is bone dry with citrus and apple in the nose and peachy, flinty flavors in the mouth. The crisp mouth feel makes it a refreshing wine and the perfect accompaniment for a light evening meal of scallops or filet of sole with a lemon butter sauce. Be sure to let this wine age for about six months and then when you open it, let it aerate for twenty minutes to allow its flavors to develop
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SHV Tocai Friulano
This is our third year of producing Tocai Friulano from eighty-year-old vines at Larkmead Vineyards, owned by Cam and Kate Baker. We've discovered that this wine develops nicely with a bit of age; the 2000 vintage has mellowed beautifully. So our advice to you is to drink half the case now and enjoy the light, crisp, fresh, fruity qualities of a new wine. Then cellar the other half for a year or two and enjoy a still fruity but smoother, more mellow wine. We would characterize the aromas and flavors as reminiscent of peaches, the skins of plums and grapes, and honeysuckle. The mouth feel is a bit tart as a result of good acid content. Mike Chelini suggests we drink the Tocai Friulano with salty dried meats such as coppa and prosciutto with melon.
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Stony Hill Chardonnay
We are thrilled with everything about our 2003 Chardonnay vintage except for its modest size. Late rains to the end of May diminished fruit set, and June and July, which were the hottest months in memory, slowed ripening. But when we finally picked the fruit, all in one week, it came in glorious big bunches of juicy, translucent grapes! The resulting wine is medium straw in color and more concentrated in aromas and flavors than any Chardonnay we have produced in recent years. There is much to beguile you in this elegant wine, from the intense fruit aromas to the perfect balance of acid and richness. Breathe in the ripe pear fragrance, then let the lime and mineral flavors slip over your tongue, and finally enjoy the finish as it lingers on and on. For those of you new to Stony Hill, please note that our winemaking style emphasizes pure fruit flavors from the vineyards, and that we avoid new oak barrels, aging on the lees, and malolactic fermentation, any one of which could introduce foreign flavors and mask our delicate fruit.
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Stony Hill Gewurztraminer
Please note that our 2004 Gewurztraminer production is less than half of usual due to those pesky rains in May when the fruit was setting. The fairest thing we can do is to sell it on a first come first served basis as we do with all our wines. The 2004 vintage is palest straw in color with very appealing floral aromas of white roses and gardenias in particular, and fresh, delicate flavors to entrance your palate. At our Wine Auction Napa Valley lunch in June we learned from Chef Nam Phan of the Napa General Store what a great match dry Gewurztraminer is with Vietnamese food, particularly with the crispy crab and pork spring roll with ginger dipping sauce, which was the hands down favorite of all seven courses.
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Stony Hill Semillon de Soleil
The 2001 Semillon is much more characteristic of Stony Hill's Semillon production over the years than was the 2000 vintage. The 2001 has the deeper amber color we are used to, the higher, fifteen percent residual sugar we expect, and the wonderful taste of honey in your glass. We would characterize the bottle bouquet as dried apricots, figs and plums, baked fruitcake, and, of course, the honey. On September 10th we picked 1.6 tons of Stony Hill Semillon grapes, dried them on prune trays in the sun until September 24th when we crushed .78 of a ton at forty-four percent sugar. The resulting dessert wine delights us, and we think it should be sipped in company with a Tarte Tatin of apricots, or taken at the first sign of a sore throat. Enjoy!
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Stony Hill White Riesling
White Riesling has gained so in popularity in the last few years that we are truly distressed to have two hundred cases less than last year to offer you. This lovely 2004 vintage is pale straw in color with honeysuckle and vine flower aromas. In the mouth it has a notable juicy, fruity quality and the tartness of pomegranate. For the perfect food pairing we always like to mention Dungeness crab and Stony Hill White Riesling together, so look for a couple of recipes on November 15 th when crab season opens in San Francisco. And here’s one more food pairing idea. First, chill the White Riesling. Then, for an extremely simple and delicious first course, place a grilled peach half on lightly dressed greens and sprinkle with crumbles of delicate blue cheese. Your family and guests will love you for this delightful combination of flavors.
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