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(Sold Out) 2006 Farella-Park Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon West Face Napa Valley |
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Rockpile on Third
It was as if someone was dropping breadcrumbs, leading us to 2222 Third in Napa. But when we finally got there, following the sexy voice on the Garmin GPS, we found ourselves in front of a beat up 4-plex dilapidated house that bore no resemblance to the vineyard that has quietly taken this part of the valley by storm.
When we first heard of Tom Farella's vineyard, we were quite a ways from Coombsville. While attending a tasting that featured some of the greatest wines of the Oakville Grade, we learned that Far Niente was very high on a vineyard in southern Napa and had begun buying their grapes – at a premium. The vineyard popped up again, this time associated with Merryvale, and then Lail and their Napa high-fliers. But it wasn't until we were invited to dinner by one of Napa's most famous sommeliers (who has asked us not to name-drop this time!) that we began to get our arms around the magnitude of Tom Farella's 30 years of dedication to these vines, planted on a mix of volcanic tufa and rich red, decomposed rock. The wine master's featured bottle that night, served with rib eye off the grill, was from one of Robert Parker's new Napa Valley darlings. The winery is Realm. The Cabernet was a 2006 single vineyard powerhouse from Farella.
Mike Hirby, the same guy who made Peter Snowden's "The Rocks" at Rockledge, makes the Realm Cabernets from that rugged ledge above St. Helena. At Realm, they aren't shy about spending top dollar for fruit. The sommelier knew of three single vineyard Realm Cabernets, the first two reading like an ode to Andy Beckstoffer. There's the requisite To Kalon ($100/bottle), Napa's most expensive vineyard source. Then there's Beckstoffer's Dr. Crane Vineyard, set on a rocky patch on the St. Helena floor (also $100). But that night on the patio, it was the third wine – the pure Farella Vineyard bottling ($90) – that stole the evening thunder.
Parker called that wine "Margaux-like," and it's easy to see why. The cooler climate, volcanic soil combo of richness and restraint had that luscious bottle in suspended animation, arguing, as Parker suggests, for a long stay in bottle, peaking in 2025.
Then, the sommelier worked his Rolodex magic. He called Farella right from the dinner table and set us up for an appointment the following day at 2pm – a trip to Third Street. And that's how we ended up in front of the rundown 4-plex in Napa.
The 2nd 2222
Coombsville and its Cabernet may be the valley's hottest topic these days, but to the guys at the post office, Coombsville is just another part of Napa. So when we punched in 2222 Third Street, watched the address signs tumble down from 4000 while driving deeper and deeper into town, we began to wonder. How do you plant Cabernet in cement? When we heard Garmin say, "You've arrived at your destination!" saw the apartment house, there were just two possibilities. Either Farella Cabernet was grown hydroponically or we were hopelessly lost.
A half hour later, after a call to the sommelier (we hadn't even taken Tom's number, trusting our logistics to Garmin), then one to Tom Farella, we arrived at 2222 Third AVENUE, a simple driveway leading to a gorgeous expanse of rolling hills. A couple hours later, after we walked the vines, tasted Farella's own 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon – drawn from a few acres that he keeps only for himself – we got the story behind one of the more exciting new estate-grown wines in Napa Valley.
Over 30 years ago, on a dare from his father, Tom Farella, fresh off stints with Prieur in Meursault and Bruce Neyers in Napa, began farming his family's 26 acres in Coombsville area of Napa. Farella reasoned that the soils here on the upper slopes were perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon – well-drained, weathered volcanic and prized tufa – and the vineyard sitting on the west-facing slope at 500 feet beneath the Vaca Mountains was marvelously positioned for slow ripening. Over time, two spots really stood out. One, Tom called "Rockpile" as the vines were planted on just that. The second, and one of the oldest Cabernet plantings in all of Napa, was first planted by Tom's father in 1979!
It was a long afternoon with Tom, followed by our second rib eye in two nights. But at the Farella table, there wasn't one wine: there were 10. The Cabernets stretched back almost two decades to the famous 1993, the wine that first put Tom on the critical map when the New York Times' Eric Asimov raved about it.
What's so remarkable here? Why do we see this as one of the most unusual and exciting Cabernet spots in the valley? Sure, this 2006 is deep, dark and concentrated. But unlike many of Napa's Cabernets in 2006, the Farella wine, drawn from Rockpile and the single acre of old vines, is bright, vibrant and beautifully structured (natural pH of just 3.70). The tannins are ripe and supple, but the wine goes on forever. Parker said the sommelier's version of Farella Vineyard would be going strong in 2025. So what of Farella's own 2006 Cabernet from the best spots on the property? Will it see 2025? No problem – if only you have the patience to wait.
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Tasting Notes from the WineAccess Travel Log
2006 Farella-Park Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon West Face Napa Valley
"Deep purple color. Firm, ripe currant nose, nicely wound up and compact. Rich and concentrated on the attack, full of cassis, a touch of black tea, violets. Slowly unfolding. Unusually firm and solid, promising more. Left a half bottle open on the kitchen table for Day 2. Day 2: More open on the nose, the currants unwinding, lusher, more opulent. Now full blown and concentrated, a gumbo of cassis, dark red fruits laced with black olives. Excellent firmness and structure, arguing for a nice long stay in a dark cellar."
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