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September 25, 2023 | Chris Corley

Winemaker Journal | Chardonnay

MONTICELLO | Napa Valley

S54 E9 | Chardonnay

Today we picked all of our Chardonnay from the MONTICELLO Vineyard in Oak Knoll District!

The fruit tastes great, and we had a nice balanced cropload. We're thrilled!

We have two primary sections of Estate Grown Chardonnay ... Block 1, Clone 96 & Block 3, Clone 95. Each section has a distinct personality that we'll nuance and celebrate through different fermentation and aging methods.

WHOLE CLUSTER PRESSING

We whole cluster press about 2/3 of our Chardonnay, meaning we just take the grape clusters straight off the vine, and throw them into the press to squeeze the juice out.

Whole Cluster Pressed Juice tends to be cleaner, with less solids and more purity of fruit character.

CRUSHING & SKIN-SOAKING

I also like crushing about 1/3 of our Chardonnay so I can soak the juice on the skins for 5-6 hours before pressing. This is a throwback to how I first learned to make Chardonnay in the early 1990s when we still had the 'old school' conical dejuicing tanks that were state of the art at the time.

Crushed & Soaked Juice tends to have more suspended solids, but also deeper texture, more weight on the palate, and deeper aromatic complexity.

In the end, I usually blend them, but I love creating and expressing the layers of complexity with this varietal!

Sep 25, 2023 at 4:59 PM

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September 22, 2023 | Chris Corley

Winemaker Journal | D54 E9 | The Blend

The Art of the Blend. There are many 'best' moments in a life of winemaking. I started working in our family's winery cellar in 1987 as a teenager, and was so stricken with the winemaking bug at such a young age, I've had the unbelievable honor and immense pleasure of spending the last 36 years working intimately with our estate grown grapes and wines in this same cellar. Over these 36 vintages, I've experienced so many joys of winemaking, it's hard to say which is my favorite, but blending is certainly towards the top of my list.

THE ART OF THE BLEND | WINEMAKER CHRIS CORLEY

The Relationship. My relationship with our estate grown wines at the blending table really begins in the vineyard, when the vines are planted. We nurture them, we develop them, we guide them to grow to their best potential. The growing season is a dialogue between the winemaker and the vines, a silent and thoughtful communication from budbreak to harvest. We celebrate together, and work through issues together. We work through the rigors of fermentation together, and enjoy the bliss of aging together. It's a dynamic relationship like no other. By the time the wines are on the blending table, I know them intimately. We've spent years together already. Working with the wines to help them find their best expressions of themselves, and of our vineyards and terroir is wonderfully enjoyable.

Synesthesia. The magic of blending is when we can distort the laws of mathematics, and make 1 + 1 = 3. This is satisfying on a tangible level, when I can taste the beautiful textural dance on the palate between the tannins, mouthfeel, and acidity ... or the ethereal interplay of flavors and aromas swirling in the blend. It's also intellectually compelling, as numbers like TA, pH, Oak %, and Tannin whirl around in my mind's palate. The emotional interaction with the wine is most intriguing to me, when I close my eyes, and I can hear the wine like music in my mind ... with subtle pianissimo notes on the front of the palate, building crescendos and a fortissimo finale!

The Wine. One of the best represenatations of 'The Art of the Blend' at MONTICELLO is our 'Corley' Proprietary Red Wine. We made the first vintage of this wine with the 1999 vintage, and over the last 24 vintages the wine has been an absolute joy for me to blend. I love the freedom of working with the different varietals, and the ability to create a wine that has a distinct and diverse personality of its own, that doesn't really fit into a specific varietal characteristic. Our current vintage is 2018, it's an expressive blend of Estate Grown grapes from our southern Oak Knoll District vineyards. 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc. It's displays a wonderful juxtaposition of dark berry aromas and lighter fragrant spice tones on the nose. On the palate, the wine has spicy attack from the Cabernet Franc, a round midpalate mouthfeel from the Merlot, and a long, robust finish from the Cabernet Sauvignon. I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy this wine as much as I enjoyed making it!

LINK >> MONTICELLO 'Corley' Proprietary Red Wine | Vintage 2018

Chris Corley | Monticello
Winemaker 2000-
Assistant Winemaker 1997-1999
Cellar Master 1994-1996
Cellar Journeyman 1992-1993
Cellar Apprentice 1990-1991
Cellar Rat 1987-1989

Sep 22, 2023 at 7:43 AM

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September 10, 2023 | Chris Corley

Winemakers Journal | S54 E9 | Harvest 2023

WINEMAKERS JOURNAL

S54 E9 | Harvest 2023

We're very excited for Harvest 2023! We can feel the energy in the air! Most of our grapes are through veraison ... when the grapes begin to soften, change colors and make the transition from berry growth to berry ripening. We typically begin our field-sampling of the grapesonce veraison is complete.

The first of our still wine grapes to come in is almost always Pinot Noir, and it looks like 2023 will not be an exception. Our Pinot Noir is currently sampling around 23 brix ... even more importantly, the grapes are still plump with softening skins, nice fresh bright berry flavors, and are displaying a great balance of acidity and sweetness when I'm chewing on them. The seeds are all brown, and we've got nicely liginified canes. These are all tangible indicators of ripeness which I pay close attention to.

In the last few years, we've been intentionally leaving a little more fruit on the vines in order to delay the sugar accumulation, and allow for more time for ripening. When it comes to managing sugar accumulation and ripening on a grapevine, you can imagine the leaves as the gas pedal and the grape clusters as brakes. More leaves, less grapes can result in faster sugar accumulation, and less time for true ripening. Increasing the crop load on the vine, makes more work and can slow down the sugar acuumulation in the grape, allowing more time for ripening, and hopefully picking more fully ripened grapes at a lower brix, which will in turn result in lower alcohol. Winegrape ripening is an extraordinarily complex process, and this description greatly oversimplifies it, but I hope it helps to provide a glimpse of some of the considerations that I think through leading up to harvest. The 2023 winemaking program started with the first pruning cut back in March, and we're very excited to start making the transition from the field to the winery with these first upcoming picks of Pinot Noir!

Stay Tuned!

Sep 10, 2023 at 5:12 PM

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June 4, 2023 | Chris Corley

Corks!

Recently, I was honored to be invited on a trip to Portugal by Cork Supply one of our cork suppliers. We traveled to the cork forests in the south of Portugal to see the harvest, then up to Porto to visit the cork processing facilities,and then over to the Rioja region in Spain to visit their tin capsule processing facilities. Along the way, we were able to visit some terrific wineries and restaurants in the Douro Valley, Portugal and in Rioja, Spain. We were a group of about 8 winemakers, and it was a lot of fun, very educational, and a terrific way for us to meet the growers, processors, people and families behind some of our most critical packaging supply elements ... our closures. Natural Cork & Tin Capsules.

I'm excited to share my trip in a series of blog posts that I'll roll out over the next week or so. So stay tuned! Today, we'll talk about the cork forests, the trees and the harvest process!

THE FOREST FOR THE TREES

The all-natural cork we use at MONTICELLO is grown mainly in the Iberian Peninsula, in the southern half of Portugal, and some in Spain. While the cork forests cover large swaths of land in southern Portugal, the team in charge of selection is extremely knowledgable about each forest and grower and has a thorough understanding of the soils and any other activities on the property.

For example, Director of Raw Materials Frederico Lima Mayer tends away from forests that have livestock, since the animals will rub up against the trees and can affect the quality of the resulting cork bark.

The cork oak tree is unique in its ability to grow very thick bark, which is actually how the cork is harvested from the tree. A cork oak tree must be 25 years old before it can be harvested for the first time. After that, the bark can only be harvested every 9 years.

The trees are grown from acorns, whcih are carefully selected, and the forests are laid out very naturally. The trees are not linear, or lined up like we do with vineyards, they're just naturally laid out through the forest, with lots of open space. It is quite an idyllic environment, and I'm glad our corks grow in such a happy place before they seal up our bottles of wine!

THE GROWERS

Given the incredibly long time frames involved, growing cork is a multi-generational activity, and typically trees are planted with the next generations in mind. This really resonated with me, coming from a multi-generational, family-owned wine business. The grower we visited was fourth generation on their property, each generation contributing to the next. Wonderful!

HARVESTING THE CORK

As a closure for wine, natural cork is extremely environmentally friendly. The trees can live for 200+ years, since only the cork bark is stripped from the lower 1/2 of the tree to provide the raw material for wine cork production. The cork bark is stripped from the tree by men with axes, known as 'strippers'. Typically they work in pairs, and they can strip down a good size tree in a matter of minutes. Then that tree will reside peacefully and undisturbed for nine years before being harvested again.

THE PEOPLE

For such a critical element in preserving the quality of our best wines, the growing and harvesting process is incredibly low-tech, very natural, and entirely manual. What really showed in our visit to the cork forest was the thoughtfulness and utter dedication to quality from everyone on the team ... from the growers, to the Frederico and his team of quality controllers, all the way to the guys loading the trucks to take the raw bark to the facility near Lisbon. Wonderful!

*A big thank you to the entire team at Cork Supply, for making this trip possible, and for dedicating such effort to the quality of their natural corks.

NEXT POST : Stay tuned for the next blogpost featuring the next steps of cork quality sorting, aging, and preparations for the next phase of processing!

Jun 4, 2023 at 1:48 PM

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February 20, 2023 | Chris Corley

Ambassador Club | Spring Release 'Pickup Party'

The drought in California over the last few years was not just limited to water, we felt it socially as well. With the rains this winter, and our resuming of group events, it sure feels nice to be getting together again! We've had a wonderful Presidents' Day Weekend at MONTICELLO. A highlight was our Ambassador Club Spring Release Pickup Party on Sunday!

Our local Ambassadors joined us for the afternoon, to taste new and inaugural releases, and specially bottled club exclusive wines. Many of our club members have been loyal fans of MONTICELLO for years, and we were pleased to welcome them back to the winery!

We also enjoyed inviting potential new club members into the cellar for a taste of the new wines, and were pleased to have these new members join the club on Sunday as our newest MONTICELLO Ambassadors!

We enjoyed wonderful live music from Megan Schoenboem, whose beautiful singing and gentle guitar playing filled the winery cellar with cheer. We also enjoyed Brazilian-inspired chocolate truffles courtesy of Fabi Hayes and her Brigachero trailer. Both Megan and Fabi enhanced our afternoon, we we'll be sure to have them both back again!

This was a unique Ambassador Club event, with three new releases ...

MONTICELLO Corley Reserve Chardonnay 'Block 1, Clone 96' 2021

MONTICELLO Il Corvo Nero Pinot Noir 2020

MONTICELLO E Pluribus Unum Red Wine Multi-Vintage

All of the wines resonated deeply with our club members, as much for the uniqueness of the wine, but also for what the wines represent.

Il Corvo Nero is a Single-Vineyard, Single-Block, Single-Clone, Single-Barrel Pinot Noir. Bottled from a single puncheon, this wine was made in honor of our Dear Ol' Dad, crafted in the classic style that he loved so much. The label was designed in the simple, clean style that he favored. The wine itself displays exuberantly fresh strawberry, red cherry, cola, and cinnamon aromas. It is medium bodied with very light oak, fresh fruit and a lingering finish.

E Pluribus Unum has been a fascinating journey of blending time. This wine inspired many lengthy conversations during our pickup event, as it was the first time any of our members had experienced a true and thoughtful blending of time. E Pluribus Unum translates from Latin as 'Out of Many, One'. As a winemaker, I represented this in terms of blending many vintages into one wine. This was an inspired exploration of working my way through our wine library and cellar, blending together previously bottled wines with wines from barrel. This wine is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with some Cabernet Franc and Merlot. It encompasses wines from as far back as 2000, and as recent as 2021. It is a wonderfully juxtaposed medley of youth and maturity, vibrancy and subtely, richness and refined tannins.

Both Il Corvo Nero and E Pluribus Unum are Ambassador Club Exclusive wines, so are only available to our members. If you're interested in purchasing either, or joining our Ambassador Club, please call our club line at (707) 253-2802 x32 or email us at wineclub@monticellonapa.com.

Feb 20, 2023 at 10:10 PM

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January 29, 2023 | Chris Corley

TEAM | Together Everyone Achieves More

MONTICELLO | Napa Valley

S54 E1 | TEAM

Together Everyone Achieves More

When I first started working at our family winery as a teenager in the late 1900s, our dad had implemented an initiative called TEAM, an acronym for 'Together Everyone Achieves More'.

As a young kid rolling barrels around the cellar, it resonated with me, because it made me understand that I was part of making a difference ... and as I've grown older and evolved through every position from Cellar Rat to Winemaker & Vice President over the last 35 years ... it resonates with me even more.

A company is a team.

It's not a group of disparate individuals, because that simply doesn't work and has the potential for too many unintended outcomes, and lacks the collective synergy for the whole to succeed.

It's not a family, as the psychology of a family structure in the workplace can burden employees with unnecessary, inappropriate and counter productive emotional baggage at work.

A company is a team. A group of people with different skills and tasks, where everyone works together, with symbiotic function and mutual support, to achieve a common goal.

I've been rooting for the 49ers ever since I could, going to countless games at Candlestick Park with our dad as a little kid, then with my friends, then with my own son, sitting in the same season seats from 1971-2014, ... Lower East, Section 31, Row 23, Seats 9-10. And we continued going to games at Levi's, (although I still miss Candlestick)!

As the 49ers go into the NFC Championship game this afternoon with their previously third-string quarterback, Brock Purdy, we're seeing the true embodiment of TEAM culture. In what immediately seemed like a crisis at a leadership position, the entire organization rallied around a young QB, previously known as 'Mr. Irrelevant' by being selected the last player in the 2022 NFL Draft. With the entire team supporting him, this young man has helped spark the team and they are playing in the NFC Championship game today, coming in on a 10 game winning streak.

I'm rooting loudly for the 49ers today. Whatever the result is, Brock Purdy has risen to the occasion over the last 7 weeks and can walk very proudly away from this season. More importantly however, is the concept of TEAM that the entire 49ers organization, from the head office down to the field, has shown this season.

Let's Go Niners!

Dear Ol' Dad had it right so many years ago ...

TEAM | Together Everyone Achieves More

#togethereveryoneachievesmore #team #teambuilding #teamappreciation #teameffort #teamculture #leadership #work #people #culture #together #winebusiness #wineindustry

Jan 29, 2023 at 2:34 PM

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January 28, 2023 | Chris Corley

Winemaker on the Loose | Kansas City

MONTICELLO | Winemaker on the Loose

Kansas City, KS | Vintner Events

Winemaking is one of the great pleasures of my life, surpassed only by my family. Like all of the wonders of our lives, it is most enjoyed when shared. There are many aspects of mgrowing and making wine that I cherish, but there are a few that excite me very much. Filling a brand new french oak barrel, with warm just fermented red wine is absolutely one of the great pleasures of life! The joy of peering into the barrel with a small flashlight, watching the deep purple wine rise up the stainless racking tube ... with the most tantalizing aromas of blackberry, cherry, pepper, oak, vanilla and spice rushing out of the barrel as the wine displaces the headspace is almost undescribable.

Describing and sharing these experiences is also part of what we do as winemakers. We can't always share the physical experience with our customers, but we can share it vicariously, and this is what I love to do when I go out on the road!

This past week, I visited our distributor and many of our accounts in Kansas City. We also had two wonderful evening events, which provided terrific opportunities to share our wines and conversation with our friends and fans in KC. I love going to Kansas City because everyone is so friendly and enthusiastic ... lots of firm handshakes and direct eye contact, and good old midwestern hospitality.

With our distributor, Handcrafted of Kansas, we hosted a wonderful Winemakers Dinner at 801 Chophouse in Leawood. The chef prepared a mganificent dinner with wonderful, and inspired, pairings. A duck course paired with our MONTICELLO Estate Chardonnay was a wonderfully innovative and somewhat counter-intuitive pairing but it worked so well!

We enjoyed a terrific evening at Indian Hills Country Club in Kansas City. Many members came out for the evening. This was a terrific social event, which provided a great opportunity for me to share much of our 50 year family winemaking history in Napa Valley, but also to enjoy meeting many new friends and sharing some wonderful conversations. To really make the night a hit, they had a great old grand piano in the room, so I was able to share some insight into our wine blending process by playing the piano. I think it was the first time everyone in the room had ever 'listened' to wine!

I enjoy sharing my love for wine! Making a wine is a great pleasure of my life, although sharing it with others and seeing the joy it brings them is a close second!

Jan 28, 2023 at 10:00 PM

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January 22, 2023 | Chris Corley

S54 E1 | Library Sessions

Many of us in the wine industry entered the business due to some level of intrigue with wine or grapes. It generally starts as a curiosity, although when nurtured properly, this curiosity typically grows into full-fledged fascination. How else can you can explain a room full of grown men that have each been in the business for between 20-40 years that are still wowed, and floored, and fascinated by opening six (very special) bottles of wine?

I recently hosted one of our top national retail accounts at MONTICELLO, and we enjoyed a simple but wonderfully thought provoking and entertaining tasting of our library wines. It's so much fun to taste with a knowledgable and curious group, and we worked our way backwards through forty years of MONTICELLO history, in five year increments.

Here are some highlights from the evening ...

2013 MONTICELLO 'Corley' | Cabernet Sauvignon | Yewell Vineyard | St. Helena

We've been making wine from the Yewell Vineyard on Ehlers Lane in St. Helena for a little over forty years. 2013 was one of my favorite vintages in the last decade, producing wines of exceptional depth and structure. When we opened this wine, everyone remarked on the deep, vibrant color of the wine. The dark red and black berry, cassis aromas filled the glass, with a light beam of mocha and vanillin oak on the nose. On the palate the wine was youthful, vibrant, with dark fruit, and it was very clear that this is a wine that is going to age gracefully for another 30 years.

Drink Now Through 2053.

2008 MONTICELLO 'Corley' | Cabernet Sauvignon | Tietjen Vineyard | Rutherford

Hugh Tietjen and Pat MacDonald, owners of Tietjen Vineyard have been family friends and active participants at MONTICELLO since the founding of the winery. Their vineyard consistently produces some of my favorite wines each vintage. Even though this wine was 5 years older than the first, everyone remarked on the deep purple color of the wine, and the rich, youthful fruit aromas. At 15 years, this wine is exhibiting a lot of dark primary fruit, but is also just starting to show some wonderful tertiary character on the nose. On the palate, this wine is like velvet, so smooth. This wine will continue to develop for another 15-20 years.

Drink Now Through 2043.

2003 MONTICELLO 'Corley' | Cabernet Sauvignon | Reserve | Napa Valley

Our 'Reserve' bottling is the flagship bottling of any given vintage. Working our way backwards, this was the first blended appellation wine of the evening, and also when we pulled out the decanter and the ah-so. This wine had a wonderful melange of light to medium spicy red berry on the nose, with hints of mocha and coffee. On the palate, this wine was as smooth as silk, with tannins that were wonderfully resolved, and just melted on the back of the palate. Delicious, and still alive.

Drink Now Through 2033.

1998 MONTICELLO 'Estate' | Cabernet Sauvignon | Jefferson Cuvee | Napa Valley

Our MONTICELLO 'Jefferson Cuvee' has always been blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and since its first vintage has been produced in a serious, yet easy-drinking style intended to be a little more approachable in its youth. Given that intent, we were all very pleased to see how robust and vibrant this wine is tasting at 25 years old. This wine had plenty of primary berry fruit on the nose, and just a hint of spice and oak, since we're a little lighter with the new oak in this wine. Wonderfully balanced with some years still to go!

Drink Now Through 2028.

1993 MONTICELLO 'Estate' | Merlot | Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley

When I pulled out a 30 year old Merlot, everyone was certain that our run of stellar bottles might hit a snag. This was the first cork to give us any pushback, but it came out in two clean pieces with our ah-so. As the wine was pouring into the decanter, we were all impressed with the vibramcy of the color, no fading at all. With a little bit of breathing, this wine opened up to the most beautiful fruit aromas, with light berries and floral tones. On the palate, the wine showed a wonderful brightness, a hallmark of our Oak Knoll District wines grown in this cooler southern end of the Napa Valley. A good reminder to all winemakers and wine lovers how important balanced acidity is in wine, especially when aging for the long run.

Drink Now Through 2028.

1988 HOSPICES DE BEAUNE | Pinot Noir | Volnay-Santenots

This was an amazing wine, the only wine not produced by MONTICELLO, but with a compelling backstory anyway. Jay Corley, our dad and Founder of MONTICELLO, purchased this wine about 30 years ago at the famed Hospices de Beaune auction in Burgundy, France. It was specially bottled for MONTICELLO, and actually references our winery on the label. This was a stunning example of the ageability of well-grown and well-made Pinot Noir. Still showing light berry fruit on the nose, with hints of clove, cinnamon, spice, this wine glided across the palate with just the slightest beam of acidity to remind us it was still singing! Beautiful!

Drink Now Through 2028.

1983 MONTICELLO 'Corley' | Cabernet Sauvignon | Reserve | Napa Valley

We finished our historic walk down Memory Lane with our Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Just the third vintage produced at the young MONTICELLO winery, this wine displayed the full potential of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Spicy tones, red berry and dried floral tones on the nose led into a wonderfully balanced texture on the palate from front to finish.

Drink Now Through 2028.

Jan 22, 2023 at 8:12 PM

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January 11, 2023 | Chris Corley

In Memoriam : Jay Corley, 1931-2016

MONTICELLO Founder and our Dear Ol' Dad, Jay Corley, passed away peacefully on January 11, 2016. We miss him, and remember him with admiration and love. We choose to celebrate his life rather than remain sad. He loved the wines of Burgundy, and that passion led him to the southern end of Napa Valley, where he founded MONTICELLO with original plantings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In 2023, we'll be honoring our Founder and Dear Ol' Dad with very special limited-edition bottlings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The following piece is from Jay's memorial, and helps share a little about our Dear Ol' Dad.

Jay was born on July 30, 1931 in Chicago, to John and Helen Corley. After graduating from Cranbrook high school in Detroit, Jay moved west to attend Arizona State and Stanford University. He later attended Pepperdine, where he received his MBA. His thesis was based on how to start a vineyard and winery business in the Napa Valley. Jay's interest in culture and languages also led him to serve as an Italian linguist with the NSA.

An entrepreneur at his core, Jay founded and managed a number of successful business ventures in Southern California in the 1960s. His family's long history of farming was always on his mind, and he felt himself drawn towards the reemerging wine regions in Northern California. When the post-prohibition reincarnation of Napa Valley's winegrowing industry began to germinate in the 1960s, Jay was quick to recognize the region's potential for growing world-class wine, and he made the decision to move north and follow his dream.

He established his vineyard in 1969 in the cooler southern end of the Napa Valley, now known as the Oak Knoll District. When he first surveyed his land, he stood in a tired and gnarly prune orchard peppered with black walnut trees, but what he saw was a world-class vineyard with the potential to make classic wines. In 1981, after more than a decade of growing and selling his grapes to other wineries, he built the winery at Monticello Vineyards and began to produce his own estate-grown wines. Jay took great pride that the winery he founded has entered into its second generation, with its third generation showing early interest in the family wine business.

Jay with daughter Carolyn Corley on her wedding day.

Jay nurtured a strong sense of civic duty, and served on several boards and foundations, including Queen of the Valley Hospital and Napa Valley Planning Commission. He served twice as Chairman of the Napa Valley Wine Auction, served on the Napa Valley Grand Jury, and was longtime and active member of Napa Rotary. He enjoyed his affiliations with the Chevalier du Tastevin, and with his fellow GONADS (The Gastronomical Order for Nonsensical and Dissipatory Society), a group of fun-loving yet dedicated friends and fellow Napa Valley wine industry pioneers.

Jay was a life-long and devoted Chicago Cubs fan, rooting for his beloved Cubbies since he was a kid at Wrigley Field in the 1930s. Jay also cheered for the Stanford Cardinal, and loved to spend weekends tailgating at the eucalyptus grove at Stanford stadium, and cheering on his alma mater from the old wooden benches.

He had a wonderful sense of humor, and would light up a room with his smile and wit. His love of swing music lifted the spirits, and was frequently playing in the background. He was a well-traveled man, familiar with international cultures, yet was most comfortable at home with family.

PRESS ON!

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

- Calvin Coolidge

Jan 11, 2023 at 5:10 AM

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December 26, 2022 | Chris Corley

MONTICELLO 'Corley Reserve' | Proprietary Red Wine

A great pleasure of estate winegrowing is to see how our wines develop over time, sometimes very long periods of time. We’ve been farming our estate vineyards for more than 50 years … in fact we’re one of the few fifty plus year old, family owned, estate grown wineries remaining in Napa Valley. We tend to develop personal relationships with our wines and vineyard blocks.

One of my favorite wines to blend is our MONTICELLO ‘Corley Reserve’ Proprietary Red Wine. I love the freedom this wine allows me during the creative flow of the blending process. Since this wine is labeled simply as red wine, I’m free to follow my palate through all of the barrels in our cellar when assembling this blend each year. Ever since the first vintage in 1999, this wine has typically been composed of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, although there have been a few vintages over the last 24 years, that I’ve unconventionally blended in some Syrah.

Most of the blends have been led by Cabernet Franc, which is such a magnificent grape when grown with love. We grow four different selections of Cabernet Franc on two estate ranches in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley Each selection has a different nuance of the varietal, and all of them represent it wonderfully.

In general, these bold red blends hit a wonderful sweet spot on the palate at 10-15 years. With about an hour of decanting, the tannins are as smooth as silk, the fruit is awakened from its bottled slumber, and the finish just keeps going and going. I’ve been enjoying our MONTICELLO 'Corley Reserve' Proprietary Red Wine 2006 and Proprietary Red Wine 2007 over the last couple of years, and as we enter 2023, I’m looking forward to enjoying and featuring our 2008 as a fifteen year library selection!

The 2008 growing season was a little bit of a roller coaster, but It ended up being an exceptional year for quality. Drought preceded a hard frost, which led to an uneven set and a small crop. Then heat spikes hit as harvest began. But after that it was smooth sailing, resulting in wines of very good to exceptional quality. Given all the climatic challenges, our only disappointed was the low tonnage in several vineyards.

Our MONTICELLO ‘Corley Reserve’ Proprietary Red Wine 2008 is a blend of 44% Cabernet Franc, 38% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. I just enjoyed a bottle of this with Christmas Dinner and it was absolutely terrific. Smooth supple tannins, beautiful aromas of plum, black cherry and tertiary aromas of cinnamon, potpourri and chocolate. The transitions across the palate are seamless, and the finish just sails on and on. The light beam of acidity on the midpalate (a telltale from our cooler southern Oak Knoll District vineyards) has kept the wine vibrant and alive at fifteen years, especially with the softer tannins.

We’ll be celebrating this wine all through 2023 as a fifteen year library selection. As we close out 2022, I’m excited to offer it together in a three-bottle bundle with our 2006 & 2007, so you can experience and enjoy the same multi-vintage transitions that I have for the last few years. And we’ll send it to you in a sharp three-bottle gift box!

If you’re intrigued, please CLICK HERE … enter coupon code BOXDAY, and you’ll receive 20.22% savings and we’ll ship the order to you for a MONTICELLO Nickel ($0.05 flat rate special).

Dec 26, 2022 at 1:24 PM

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