RED
BARN
About us:
Q: Where does the name "Frog’s Leap"
come from?
A: Frog’s Leap was founded on a historical
property in St. Helena known to be a commercial frog
farm in the late 1800’s. When John Williams first
came to the Napa Valley in 1975, he began making wine
for a little known winery called "Stag’s Leap
Wine Cellars". In 1981, a batch of wine was made
at the "Frog Farm" with "borrowed"
grapes from Stag’s Leap, and well, the rest is
history…
Q: Who designed your wine label?
A: A young designer named Chuck House created
the Frog’s Leap label in 1981 for a couple hundred
bucks and a couple cases of wine. That same year, the
label was awarded the Design of Excellence Award from
the American Institute of Graphic Designers. The label
was further honored with its inclusion in the permanent
collection of the Smithsonian Institute. Chuck House
continues to delight Frog’s Leap and the wine industry
with his creative sensibility.
Q: How long has Frogs’ Leap been making
wine?
A: Believe it or not, we’re heading into our 27th year of production. We can assure you that we weren’t thinking that far ahead in 1981 when we made our first 700 cases of Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. But we continue to enjoy sharing our wines more than two decades later. We find it hard to believe we aren’t the new-kid-on-the block any longer, with almost 80% of Napa Valley’s wineries being established in just the last ten years.
Q: What is the historical significance of the
Red Barn?
A: Our barn is an old ghost winery, built in
1884 by a German vintner named Christian Pugh Adamson.
Fondly referred to as "the Red Barn", our
winery is the oldest board and batten building in the
Napa Valley. When Frog's Leap purchased the Red Barn
in 1994, we took great care to restore it to its earlier
glory and re-used close to 85% of the original barn
wood. Frog's Leap is proud to have received the 1995
Award of Merit for Restoration of the Red Barn from
the Napa County Landmark, Inc. ~ and what a thrill it
is to be making wine in the old Red Barn after almost
100 years.
Q: What does "TFWYHF" mean?
A: "Time’s Fun When You’re Having
Flies"!
Back
to Top
Our Wine/Winemaking:
Q: What wine is Frog’s Leap most known for?
A: One-half of our annual production of almost 50,000 cases is Sauvignon Blanc, which remains our sentimental favorite, as it was the first wine we produced. We also take great pride in our Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, and our Pink and Frögenbeerenauslese.
Q: Can you share some of the uniqueness of the
Rutherford "appellation"?
A: Situated in the heart of the Napa Valley,
the Rutherford Viticultural Area, offers a multitude
of microclimates and soil types which give rise to some
of California’s most well known wines. Rutherford’s
west side, known as the Rutherford Bench, is home to
some of the Napa Valley’s best Cabernet Sauvignons.
Frog’s Leap farms four vineyards on "the bench"
– building blocks of our Cabernet and the source
for our "Rutherford". We believe that Rutherford’s
eastern bench, with its more clay-like soils and warmer
afternoons, may be to Merlot what the west side is to
Cabernet.
Q: What does the term "Rutherford Dust"
mean?
A: "Rutherford Dust" was a phrased
coined by Napa Valley’s most renowned vintner,
Andre Tchelistcheff to reflect the definable style,
quality, and character of grapes and wines originating
from the Rutherford Viticultural Area. To quote Mr.
Tchelistcheff, "It takes Rutherford Dust to grow
great Cabernet."
Q: Your wine label says that your grapes are
"responsibly farmed". What does this mean?
A: Farmers are caretakers. Caretakers of the
soil, the air, the water and all the living organisms
associated with them. Being a farmer means taking responsibility
for your caretaking role. Yes, it involves organic farming…
but really it is more. Responsible farming is true involvement
in all the natural systems of the farm.
Q: I noticed that you are using synthetic corks
in the Sauvignon Blanc and Pink wines as opposed to
the natural cork used in the bottling of your other
wines. Is there a reason?
A: Because of the delicate flavors and aromas
found in our Sauvignon Blanc and Pink wines we have
chosen a state of the art synthetic closure system known
as Nomacorc. Traditional cork closures can pose a risk
of TCA commonly known as "cork taint". Detectable
at extremely low levels (in the parts per trillion),
a taster may not perceive it as "TCA" but
will just think that the fruit aroma is slightly dampened.
At higher levels, the wine can smell like chlorine.
White wines tend to display the effects of cork taint
more predominantly than reds, as they tend to be more
delicate. To insure that the delicacy and brightness
of our Sauvignon Blanc and Pink shine through, we have
chosen this completely neutral closure.
Q: Why does Frog’s Leap have "square"
fermentation tanks?
A: The most often seen tank is round. Half of
Frog’s Leap’s tanks are square. The square
shaped tanks better utilize the floor space inside our
barn and we can get 33% more storage per square foot.
Besides, we think they look really cool!
Q: What does "whole cluster pressing"
mean?
A: "Whole cluster pressing" is just
that: the pressing of the entire grape cluster or bunch
to extract a gentle, clean flavored juice. Only the
juice is extracted - no seeds, skins or other grapes
solids remain after the pressing. Though it may seem
somewhat counter intuitive, by directly pressing the
whole grape clusters while the fruit is still on the
stem, we actually get less stem taste and are able to
draw out a smoother flavor for the wine. We whole cluster
press all of our white grape varietals. In contrast,
our red grapes are put through a destemmer, crushed
with the grape solids and allowed to ferment on the
skins (this actually gives red wine it’s beautiful
red color.)
Q: What type of barrels do you use for aging
the wine?
A: We use French and American oak barrels from
various coopers. Our Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot and Chardonnay are aged only in French oak while
our Zinfandel is aged in both American and French oak.
Back
to Top
Weather:
Q: Why is the weather of the Napa Valley so great for growing
grapes?
A: In the big picture, the Napa Valley has 32" –
36" of rain on average per year, primarily during the months
of November through April. This amount of rainfall completely satisfies
the water needs of the vines. Dry farming requires 16" –
20" annual rainfall to sustain the vines through the long dry
spell during growing season (May – October), especially during
the ripening period (July – September). During the Summer and
early Fall, the Napa Valley’s warm days are accompanied by
cool nights. It is not unusual for there to be a temperature swing
of 40 to 50 degrees from the daytime high to the nighttime low.
These cool nights help to preserve the acids in the grapes leading
to a more balanced wine.
Q: What time of year do you normally harvest grapes? What’s
the weather like at that time?
A: Grapes are generally harvested anytime from mid-August
through the middle of October. Our Sauvignon Blanc grapes are the
first to harvest and we usually finish up with the Cabernet Sauvignon
mid to late October.
During Harvest, you can expect foggy mornings, warm days, and cool
nights.
Q: What about the phases of the moon? Do they affect growing
patterns?
A: The energies of the cosmos including the moon,
the sun, the planets and the stars, affect all living
things on earth in regular rhythms. Specifically, each
of these rhythms contributes to the life and growing
cycles of plants. By understanding the subtle effects
of these rhythms, we can time our agricultural practices
to take full advantage of these cosmic forces to ideally
enhance crop production. For example, the energies of
the full moon increase root growth, so it is a good
time for planting and transplanting those plants that
require deep root growth. Rudolf Steiner, considered
the father of biodynamic farming, once said, "Something
stupendous take place on earth as a result of the full
moon’s forces". Check out www.biodynamics.com
for more in depth information.
Back
to Top
VINEYARD HOUSE
Q: Can I purchase your wine online?
A: Yes, please visit new online Store! Look for the little shopping cart. Also, please feel free to call us, 800-959-4704, and someone will be happy to answer any questions you may have about our wines.
Q: Do you have a mailing list? If so, where can I sign up?
A: Yes, please sign our "Guestbook" inside the
Vineyard House.
Back
to Top
INFO:
Q: I’ll be visiting Napa Valley and would love to come
to Frog’s Leap! How do I go about scheduling a tour and tasting?
A: We would love to have you visit us at the Red Barn in
Rutherford. Our tours and tastings are by appointment. Reservations
can be arranged by calling 800/959-4704 or by dropping us a note
at ribbit@frogsleap.com.
Q: I am having trouble finding your wine. Is it possible to
purchase from the winery?
A: Yes! If you’re in the neighborhood, please stop by our retail shop, which is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. If you can’t make it to the winery, you can now purchase wine from our online Store or give us call at (800) 959-4704 and someone will be happy to assist you.
Q: Can we visit the winery without an appointment? What about
picnicking?
A: If you’re in the neighborhood and would like to stop
by… skip stones on the frog pond, wander through our heirloom
orchard or pick flowers from our garden, we are here to welcome
you Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Unfortunately,
we cannot accommodate picnicking but will be happy to direct you
to some lovely picnic sites in our area.
Q: Where is Frog’s Leap located?
A: Frog’s Leap is located in Rutherford, the heart of Napa Valley! We are situated between Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail at 8815 Conn Creek Road. Look for our frog weathervane! The Information section of our Site has a detailed and printable map.
Back to Top
THE DIRT
Q: Why does Frog’s Leap farm organically?
A: If it makes sense that the grapes reflect the soils in
which they’re grown, doesn’t it make sense to provide
the most healthly, rich soil environment from which the vines can
take their nutrients? Balancing our soils with organic matter results
in deeply rooted vines and better quality fruit. Better quality
grapes means better tasting wine. For us, organics just make good
sense.
Q: What does it mean to garden bio-dynamically?
A: Biodynamic gardening is a science of life-forces, a recognition
of the basic principles at work in nature, and an approach to agriculture
which takes these principles into account to bring about balance
and healing. For further information, please visit www.biodynamics.com
Q: What is the purpose of planting cover crops?
A: Every winter, we typically plant oats, vetch and winter
peas which are complimented by the Valley’s native mustard.
These Cover Crops provide the soil and vines with organic matter,
humus, nitrogen and other nutrients while improving soil structure
and root growth in symbiosis with beneficial soil bacteria, fungi
and earthworms. Cover Crops provide habitat for beneficial insects
(ladybugs, spiders) and birds (bluebirds, owls) which eat the vineyard
pests. Cover Crops beautify the vineyard and diversify it at the
same time. They are the premiere investment for any soil or crop.
(and you can snack on them while you walk through the vineyards)
Q: What does it mean to "dry farm"?
A: Dry farming is raising a crop without the addition of
irrigation water, relying solely on rainfall for moisture. The soil
acts as a sponge during the rains of winter and early spring, retaining
water to slowly release back to the vines during the long, hot,
dry summer. Dry farming encourages the root systems to plunge deep
into the soil, producing healthy and vigorous vines with outstanding
flavor and intensely colored fruit.
Q: How many tons of grapes do you get from an acre? How much
wine comes from a single vine?
A: Four to five tons an acre; five to seven bottles of wine
per vine.
Q: What is an "heirloom" variety?
A: Heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables are grown
from seeds of long forgotten varieties that were found in our ancestors’
gardens. When this term is used to describe seeds of produce, it
not only refers to age and lineage but also to the fact that the
seeds themselves are not sterilized and therefore will reproduce
true to their nature.
Back
to Top |
|
