Mount Veeder is just one of a number of Napa mountain terroirs from which Robert Craig gets his grapes.
Howell Mountain ~ Napa Valley (AVA)
The Wonders of Mountain Terroir:
Let Robert Craig Explain
Wine should have a sense of place. I like to taste where the grapes come from. They have their own personality. The winemaking procedures are the same for all the wines. It’s just where the grapes come from.
~Robert Craig
by
Alan Goldfarb
February 7, 2007
In 1978, Robert Craig began to make his bones when he planted 300 acres of vineyard on
Mount Veeder; and then as general manager in the nascent days at Hess Collection. Those were heady times on Mount Veeder, earlier known as Napa Redwoods. But it was there that Craig began to comprehend the differences between mountain and hillside vineyards and grapes grown on the Napa Valley floor.
Craig spearheaded the campaign to have Mount Veeder designated an appellation district in 1990. Two years later, he established his own brand. With the 1993 vintage, he introduced the “Two Mountains and a Valley” wine program, which showcased
Cabernet Sauvignons from Mount Veeder,
Howell Mountain and the valley floor. In ’95, the eponymous
Robert Craig Winery was opened on Howell Mountain, along with 10 acres of vineyard. Ironically, Craig does not own a vineyard on Mount Veeder, although he leases a 30-acre site planted to Cabernet,
Merlot, and
Cabernet Franc.
Also in ‘95, Craig bought 20 acres and a house in the Coombsville area, east of the city of Napa, for a bargain $745,000. What sealed the deal was that he found out that the
Joseph Phelps Winery had been buying its grapes from the property’s preexisting 8-acre hillside vineyard. The fruit had been going into Phelps’ great Insignia wine from the ’93 through ’95 vintages.
Despite purchasing that vineyard, which is the principal source for the winery’s red Affinity blend, the 68-year-old Craig is an unabashed mountain man. He loves wines from the valley’s hillsides. To that end, he makes Cabernet-based wines which are Howell Mountain and Mount Veeder designated. Next year, Craig will release his first wine from
Spring Mountain. The wines are all made at the Craig winery on Howell. All wines sell for $70, save for the Affinity, which retails at $45. Additionally, Craig obtains a small amount of
Cabernet Sauvignon from the Durell Vineyard in Sonoma Valley; and plans to produce a Howell Mountain Zinfandel which will be also be released next year. In all, Craig makes about 8,500 cases of wine a year.
In a telephone conversation, I discussed places of grape origin and comparisons of Mount Veeder and Howell Mountain with Craig.
ALAN GOLDFARB (AG): You started your career on Mount Veeder. What was it about that area which first attracted you?
