Saying “enough is enough,” Chateau Montelena winemaker Bo Barrett has launched what he half-jokingly calls a “spring offensive” against the two “pariahs” who are blocking Calistoga, Ca. from being named an official American Viticultural Area (AVA).

The offensive comes in the form of a resolution that was approved by the Calistoga city council, which effectively lends its support to the region being sanctioned; but in essence, it has no teeth.

The questions are: Will the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), the government body which has heard arguments for and against Calistoga being sanctioned as an official AVA, speed up the process, which has lingered for four years? And will the resolution be enough to make two Calistoga-branded wine companies back off from objecting to TTB approval?

The two companies – Calistoga Cellars and Calistoga Estate Vineyards – currently do not use grapes of at least 85 percent from Calistoga in their wines. But they are objecting to the AVA sanctioning because they may be forced to change their brand names if they don’t comply with the 85 percent rule.

In the meantime, in a show of support to those that are fighting for AVA approval, the city of Calistoga has gone ahead and adopted the resolution, saying it endorses “the petition that the name ‘Calistoga’ be protected as a term of Viticultural Significance by approval of Calistoga as an AVA.”

California congressmen Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) and George Radanovich (R-Mariposa) have joined in the fight, sending a letter to U.S. officials calling for the approval of the AVA.

According to Barrett, “The locals decided that enough is enough and their patience is wearing thin. Wineries realize the value (of an AVA) and they want to use it on their labels. It’s time. It’s been four years and that’s enough. This (the city council resolution) is to put a spurt behind Mike Thompson and to show that these guys (Calistoga Cellars and Calistoga Estate) are really by themselves, that they’re pariahs.

“The resolution also replaces about 500 individual letters to the TTB. If they want us to send all our letters, that can be made to happen.”

Also on board is the Napa Valley Vintners, the marketing group that supports about two-thirds of the wineries in the region. Rex Stults, the NVV’s industry relations director, told APPELLATION AMERICA why his group is involved in the protracted battle.

“It’s the right thing to do. We have been very proactive in name protection issues,” he said, referring to the legal fight with the Bronco Wine Co., which went all the way to the Supreme Court and ended in a victory to protect Napa Valley’s name. “When you’ve spent six years and $2 million … and a little over a year later (it happens again), it would be a shame to have it dissipated in any way.

“More so, this is a consumer-perception issue as well. Somebody buying a bottle of wine needs to trust that when they see a label, the grapes in that bottle come from that place.”

Furthermore said Stults, what the resolution does “is take us beyond the realm of the wine world and shows this is important to Calistoga as a community. This sends a loud message to those that are stonewalling the approval.”

Stults acknowledged that he and members of the NVV met early in the spring on separate occasions with Roger Lauer and Marvin Stirman of Calistoga Cellars and Calistoga Estate, respectively. The point was to “to get to know one another and explain and understand where each party is coming from.”

What was Stirman and Lauer’s reaction? “(There was just) a shrug of the shoulders. I don’t know if they have a clear understanding on why this is important - on so many levels. It appears for the time being, we have to agree to disagree and go about our business. (But) it’s not our intention to put these guys out of business.

“It would be a thorn in their side for the time being, but the facts are the facts. If you put a geographical name on your label, you would have to comply with the 85 percent rule.

“If it took the city council three minutes to understand that, shouldn’t Calistoga Cellars and Calistoga Estate (understand)? Reached by telephone in Chicago where he was selling his wine, Lauer said he believes that a solution would be to call the AVA “Calistoga District,” such as with other sub-appellations in the Napa Valley that have geographical place named-wineries in those AVAs. Some of those are Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Spring Mountain Winery. Lauer also responded to Barrett and Stults’ comments.

“We’re not against the appellation point at all … “(but) we’re saying, why doesn’t the TTB make it the Calistoga District? We use all Napa Valley grapes. I’d bet Bo Barrett doesn’t use 85 percent of his grapes from Calistoga. He has a vineyard in Carneros. Why should we be forced to use 85 percent of our grapes from Calistoga?

It was pointed out that if Barrett and others didn’t use that percentage from Calistoga or elsewhere, they couldn’t by law, put the appellation on their labels.

“He has flexibility, where we wouldn’t,” answered Lauer. “It puts us in a competitive position. That’s not fair business.”

Would he change the name of his brand?

“With the Calistoga name, we’re in 35 states and that would disappear. … We would have to introduce a whole new name. It’s like starting from scratch again,” he said.

As for that meeting with Stults and the NVV, Lauer said he asked, “Why are you opposed to the ‘district’? They said, ‘If we went along with ‘district,’ you guys can still use grapes from anywhere.” ‘You could be another Freddie Franzia and bring in grapes from Fresno.’”

The allusion is to Fred Franzia and his Bronco Wine Co. whom the NVV took to the country’s highest court for using three Napa Valley geographical names without using Napa Valley fruit.

“I told Stults, ‘why would you worry about that? Others can do it and they haven’t done it. We’re not going to do it. We’ll sign a piece of paper saying we’ll use 100 percent Napa Valley grapes forever, but don’t restrict us to 85 percent from Calistoga.’”

Lauer said he has petitioned TTB to use the word “district.” He says that the only response he's gotten from that agency was at a meeting with his attorney several months ago, at which there was a consultant for TTB.

“Off-the-record, she (the consultant) told us, ‘I don’t know why they wouldn’t grant Calistoga district status.’ There’s already a precedent” he said.

What happens if Calistoga Cellars is not granted that request? “We’re screwed and we’ll have to start with a whole new name,” he said. “(But) if we have to do, we have to do it.”

Lauer claimed that he can’t get enough grapes from Calistoga to make more than 5,000 cases a year. He now produces more than double that.

“I can go out and find Calistoga grapes, but our winemaker likes the sources we have now (including a Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard he owns in St. Helena). (But) it’s not right to have a gun to your head.

Has he spoken to Barrett about the issue? “I asked Bo, ‘What would you do?’ He said he couldn’t answer that. If they (those in favor of the AVA passage) would stop being such prima donnas, we’ll use the AVA. I’m fine with it."

And on being called a “pariah” by Barrett? “Consider the source,” he answered.

Marvin Stirman, who is in the retail wine business in Washington, D.C., heads up a group of 28 people, who have bought a building in Calistoga that they plan to convert to a “hospitality house.” His Calistoga Estate, which has its wines made at Adler Fels Winery in Santa Rosa, Ca., claims it uses all of its fruit from the Napa Valley, “but certainly not all from Calistoga.”

Stirman was in Maryland when I reached him by phone for a comment on this report. He responded, “I don’t want to comment. We’re just dead to them. Whatever happens, happens.” However, in an interview with APPELLATION AMERICA last January, Stirman had a lot to say. Is he opposed to Calistoga being granted AVA status? “Essentially yes, because I’ve spent years working like hell putting it (his brand) together,” he answered. “… Now what am I going to do, start all over again? What happens to all that good money? I’m only opposed to it because I’m personally affected and don’t see the value to it.”

Stirman went on to say, “Consumers don’t know what an AVA is and we don’t really care. I don’t see what we’re doing is harmful to Calistoga. If anything, we’re helping. We’re publicizing the region. Why wouldn’t you want the name publicized? To me, it’s puzzling. I don’t see why they think it’s necessary to have an AVA Calistoga.”

But according to Stults, “If the appellation is approved, it will strengthen the brands of everybody, especially those with Calistoga in the brand name.”