MacDonald Vineyards – Snail Prize
OAKVILLE
PO Box 91
tel. (707) 225-7264
www.macdonaldvineyards.com
info@macdonaldvineyards.com
15 ac – 4,100 bt
‘‘Though the vineyard has never seen systemic sprays in the family’s 64 years of conservancy, they are just beginning the process of organic certification’’
PEOPLE
In 1868 Hamilton Crab arrive to the Napa Valley, bought a swath of land near the hamlet of Oakville, and swiftly set to planting 400 varieties of vines. His holdings swelled to 510 acres, which he artfully called To-Kalon (Greek for the most beautiful) and the wines from his ample experiment eventually won more awards than any other pre-Prohibition winery. Phylloxera later decimated the valley and the property was refashioned as a cherry farm. In 1954 the great-grandfather of current stewards Alex and Graeme MacDonald bought a plot of land within the original To-Kalon estate and replanted it to grapes.
VINEYARDS
Though now associated with the Mondavi winery, the name To-Kalon refers to the large 1868 property, of which the MacDonalds own 21 of the most gravel-rich acres, now home to 20-, 40-, and 64-year old vines. Despite never having met their great-grandfather, they have continued his tradition of farming with near fanatical attention to detail and and intimate knowledge of each individual vine.
WINES
To say that the Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 (Great wine) is unique would be an understatement; you simply have never tasted anything like it. Black fruits and a savory intensity usually reserved for Japanese kitchens waft from the glass pre-swirl and the complexity of the nose is reflected on the palate twofold. It’s all buoyed by a streak of lively acidity leaving you with a vivacious finish.
FERTILIZERS compost
PLANT PROTECTION copper and sulfur
WEED CONTROL mechanical, mowing
YEASTS spontaneous fermentation
GRAPES 100% estate-grown
CERTIFICATION none