Veeder Ridge Vineyard. In 2019, Felicia Woytak and Steven Rasmussen, owners of Palisades Vineyard in Calistoga, purchased Rubissow Vineyard from the Rubissow family. At the time of their acquisition, this Mt. Veeder property was planted to approximately 18 acres of vineyards. 2021 was the final vintage from these original vines as the entire vineyard is being redeveloped. Developments includes removing the terracing, installing new irrigation systems and, in the coming years, planting varieties to align with soil types and exposures. The first vines under their ownership were planted in 2023 with additional acreage to be planted in 2024. These are the southernmost vineyards in the Mt. Veeder appellation and are located about a mile from Redwood Road – west of the town of Napa. Nearby neighbors are Hess Collection Winery and Progeny Estate.
The soils are uplifted marine sediments and a variety of exposures create a number of distinct microclimates. Most vineyards on Mt. Veeder roughly face east on this north south spine of the Vaca mountains. However, the South Blocks of Veeder Ridge face due south towards the San Pablo Bay and are directly influenced by the nearby maritime climate. This side of the property enjoys exceptional views of views of San Pablo Bay, Mt. Tamalpais and Mt. Diablo in the distance. A lower and more protected section of the vineyard faces north and east overlooking the valley floor. Due to the proximity of the bay, this is a slightly cooler section of Mt. Veeder, resulting in wines of bright, natural acidity.
This property used to produce wines bottled under Rubbissow-Sargent named after its founder George Rubissow and Tony Sargent (both physicists); the wine was made in Berkeley until their last vintage in 2003. In 2004 ownership of the property was transferred to George’s children Peter and Ariel who bottled their first wines under Rubissow in 2004.
A 130+ year old Italian farmhouse on the property formerly was used as a hunting lodge. From its porch, views stretch across their vineyards down 1,000 feet to the city of Napa below.
After purchasing Veeder Ridge, and before replanting the vineyard, Felicia and Steve decided to take the next step in their journey from grape farmers and home winemakers to Napa Valley vintners. So, in 2019, instead of selling all of the grapes from their new vineyard, they kept grapes from select blocks to launch Au Revoir. Au Revoir was created as an homage to George Rubissow to primarily showcase a final few vintages from vines he planted and managed. Only five wines from two vintages were released under the Au Revoir label, from grapes harvested in 2019 and 2020. This brand also included the inaugural vintage of Chenin Blanc from their Palisades Vineyard. Wines bottled under Au Revoir are no longer being produced.
Select Wines
The Au Revoir Chenin Blanc was fermented with indigenous yeasts. With this technique, the winemaker creates a small pied de cuve (a starter fermentation) to build up a strong indigenous yeast fermentation and then inoculates the primary vessel of grapes with small amounts of this already in process ferment. Their Chenin Blanc is put through full malolactic fermentation, undergoes battonage and rather than bottling after a year often sees up to 1.5 years of elevage in neutral oak barrels.
The 2020 Au Revoir Palisades Vineyard Chenin Blanc (inaugural vintage) is deep straw in color; the aromatics are fresh and both fruit and dessert spice driven with notes of lychee, baked apples, honeysuckle, vanilla and caramel. Noticeable is its creamy and slightly saline textural feel across the palate. This is a superbly balanced bottling featuring plenty of depth. It offers flavors of lemon juice, tangerine and cantaloupe and lingers with a brightness resulting from a combination of both fruit and acidity. Only 40 cases were produced. The grapes for this wine transitioned to their Palisades Canyon bottling in 2021.
The 2020 Au Revoir Rosé Mount Veeder is a blend of 50% Syrah, 47% Merlot and 3% Chenin Blanc. This bottling is medium copper in color; the bouquet offers aromas of grapefruit pith, an initial touch of tar which quickly dissipates, slightly under ripe strawberries and citrus blossom. It is very refreshing, especially on a hot summer day. The energy and liveliness on the palate is immediately noticeable which is complemented nicely by a very slight textural creaminess. This mineral laden wine offers primarily red fruit flavors including pomegranate and wild strawberries. It lingers with a mouthwatering citrus-like burst of mouth-watering brightness which continues to persist for some time. Only 83 cases were produced.
The 2019 Au Revoir Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder is blended with 11% Petite Verdot. Both varieties were co-fermented. We tasted this as a barrel sample approximately one year post vintage; this wine is dark ruby in color and opaque to look at. The bouquet offers aromas of dried herbs, chocolate, dark plum and a slight note of leather. This wine lingers with light gravelly but long-lasting tannins along with a dried tobacco leaf spice. The finish is driven by its soils – showing plenty of earthy and dusty notes.
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NOTE: this review will be undergoing significant updates over the next few years as the vineyard starts moving into production. The first harvest should be sometime between 2026 and 2028 with the wines released several years after that. We will add tasting notes of the Veeder Ridge wines as soon as we have the opportunity to taste them.
For more information and to purchase the Au Revoir wines, please visit: www.aurevoirwines.com
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