Amazingly it was about 2 years ago now that I ran into a group of wines from Benessere Vineyards in Napa Valley. Benessere is located between the Silverado Trail and Highway 29 as St. Helena begins to quickly morph into Calistoga.
At the time, the state of the property didn’t quite fit what is a GREAT site, as well as an impressive set of people. Winemaker Matt Reid and general manager Stephanie Grubbs both come across as true professionals. Plus, Matt’s one of the more talented guys you’ll come across in the Napa wine industry. Have a look at People’s Wine Revolution which is his personal brand.
Putting the story together over time I learned that both Stephanie as well as Matt were new to Benessere and with new blood, often comes changes.
I had the chance to taste through a set of Matt’s first vintages at Benessere and came away impressed. The white’s are crisp and acidic and Matt has a perspective on red’s that’s still pretty unique to this section of Napa, he carries more acidity and a delightful lighter touch than many.
Ok, so here’s the thing about the Benessere property that makes it important over the longer term. In Napa (and in the Russian River Valley and the wider Sonoma Coast for that matter) we are starting to see a monoculture be formed. If you bought a vineyard today, you’d almost have to plant it exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon. I mean, if the grapes are worth 3x to 4x what any other grape vine is in the same space, how can you make any argument against it?
The problem though is that, it makes the area less interesting for wine drinkers, winemakers and the industry as a whole.
Benessere has a range of red wine grapes. Yes, they have some Cabernet Sauvignon. They have a ton of Syrah-it’s a dying varietal more than any others and yes, they might not be around for long, anywhere.
But, the Italian grapes are really what’s pretty interesting at Benessere and they’re keeping them. It was said a few generations ago that you had to have a last name that ended in a vowel to make wine in Napa, while I don’t think that was a positive comment, it helps to explain why as that changed, how many Italian grape varieties were simply pulled out, or never considered. It was a clear backlash against the prevailing culture when Napa became, Napa.
Outside of Sangiovese, they also have Anglianco and a one or two others. Hell, they have some Merlot sitting around which I heard multiple people say that might end up being worth something because after all, in a decade these might be the last Merlot vines in all of Napa Valley.
Outside of making good longer term choices in the vineyard, Stephaine is helping to create a winery that does feel more like the rest of Napa Valley. I think there’s a lot of value in zigging while others zag so to speak, but in terms of facility quality, Benessere is a generation behind in terms of their front of house operations. Plus, this might be the smallest tasting room for 10 miles in any direction. It fits a small handful of folks comfortably, without seats. I won’t be surprised when they announce a new tasting room has been approved and that construction has began.
Here’s where Benessere is truly playing catchup. They’re offering more higher end wines, at a higher price point with their top tier wines creeping up from the $40 range into the mid $70’s. That may still be 50% less than their neighbors and there’s clearly room to grow here.
The best news for Benessere is that the winery is clearly in good hands. Stephanie is a professional hand, having come up through the Mondavi marketing department and Matt’s a talented, down to earth winemaker that we’d all happily have in charge of our winery.
In any case, Benessere Vineyards will be interesting to watch progress over time.