On a recent rtip to Napa, we found ourselves enamored with Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons made from 'mountain fruit.' Although this might strike you as just another esoteric wine term, mountain fruit simply refers to the grapes that are grown on steep sloping hilsides in the mountains of Napa (Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain) rather than on the valley floor. As anyone who has visited Napa knows, the valley floor is easy to recognize as you drive down Highway 29 through the heart of Napa wine country. Rows and rows of vines provide scenic views to your right and left as you gaze out of your car window. By the same token, if you have ventured off the main road and traversed up to a mountain winery in Napa, you will no doubt remember the treacherous ascent to the winery's picturesque tasting room. The different conditions, including climate, soil, altitude and water drainage, can influence the quality and style of the finished wine.

Although today's modern technology puts many of th stylistic decisiosn in the hands of the winemaker, mountain fruit generally produces wines with clean, powerful fruit and a leaner, more elegant edge than riper, fleshier wines from the valley floor. Much of the better wines exhibit aromas of autumn spices amoungst the panoply of red and black fruit. Generally, the climate is cooler in the mountains and the warm days and cooler nights give the grapes time to "rest" from the bright, hot sun that is continuously ripening grapes down in the valley. All this is  not to say that wines made from mountain fruit are better than wines made from fruit grown on the valley floor, they are simply a different expression of the grapes and of the microclimates of Napa Valley. In fact some wines from Napa Valley are produced by blending grapes from different vineyards using both valley floor fruit and mountain fruit. We recommend you try a few 'mountain fruit only' wines (see our list below) perhaps comparing them with some napa wines from teh valley floor to discover what style most suites your palate. The best of the Napa wines from mountain fruit are well integrated an dbalanced, although perhaps not as easy to drink young as the juicier, less tannic wines made from the valley floor.

We tasted many impressive Cabernet-Sauvignon based wines in Napa Valley. Here are a few -grown in the mountain- that we recommend you ask your local wine merchant about. Mountain fruit wines are certainly rich - as you would expect from a california Cabernet - however the slightly leaner style will make them enjoyable with a special Autumn meal.