“It all starts with a faint green ‘flush’. As the gnarled old vines awaken once more, the first hint of future bounty appears in the form of delicate clusters of bright green.” – Ed Lehming

Spring in Napa is a glorious time. As the spring air and sunshine warm the valley, the entire valley floor fills with delicate greens as the countless vineyards stir with life.

I especially like the old vines, and the wines they produce. I this image, the vines are at Grgich Estates. I believe these may be Chardonnay vines, but I’m no expert and did not pay attention as I was making the photo.

We spend late morning at this iconic and established vineyard, enjoying a series of tastings of their renowned Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons. It was Miljenko “Mike” Grgić who helped put California on the world wine map with his Chardonnay in the mid-seventies when his Chardonnay took top prize in the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 . “Mike’ is now 99 years old and is still active in the operation the the winery. The story of the Paris tasting is depicted in the movie Bottle Shock. Grgich was the winemaker at Chateau Montelena at the time but is not in the movie, because he did not want to be part of it. It was not till my first visit here some ten years ago that I discovered that part of the story.

It’s a great piece of Napa’s history and the winery continues to make great wines. It’s always fun to visit wineries where much of the production come right from the immediate property, though Grgish owns some 366 acres of vineyards throughout the valley, which allows for many different taste profiles. It’s a great spot for fine wines and offered me the opportunity to enjoy the vines up close.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 112 mm
1/1000 sec, f/4, ISO 400