When Bill Collins first planted his vineyard 30 years ago, no one spoke of terroir, but over the last three decades he has come to know the soil and climate of his St. Helena property intimately.
St. Helena ~ Napa Valley (AVA)
A 30 Year Education in the Terroir of St. Helena: An Interview with Bill Collins
"The whole viticultural scene has changed enormously. It’s been an education. As far as terroir was concerned, nobody spoke in those terms back then."
by
Alan Goldfarb
November 3, 2006
Bill Collins founded
Conn Creek Winery
in 1973 and sold it 13 years later to U.S. Tobacco (UST Inc.), which is the parent company to Washington-based
Chateau Ste. Michelle
Wine Estates, the current owners. But a half-dozen years before beginning to make some memorable wines at Conn Creek, Collins bought a 55-acre parcel on Big Tree Road north of
St. Helena. It was the same year that
Robert Mondavi opened his winery down the road in
Oakville.
From that spot which he calls the Collins Vineyard, which is next door to
Tudal and across the road from
Benessere, Collins grows 49 acres of mostly
Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot
and
Cabernet Franc, with some
Zinfandel,
Carignane,
Aglianico, and Sauvignon Vert. He sells his grapes to Benessere, to his former winery Conn Creek, and to
Turley. He also has vineyards in the
Yountville and
Rutherford districts.
The lease on the Rutherford site on Highway 29 and Niebaum Lane, will expire with the harvest of 2006 after its fruit has gone to
Cakebread,
Sequoia Grove, and
Clos du Val.
Alan Goldfarb (AG): Why did you buy vineyard land on Big Tree?
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