Cleavage Creek Winery

We visited cleavage Creek in eastern Napa County (Pope Valley) on one of those beautiful warm spring days that makes visits to the back roads of Napa Valley so wonderful. With so much good this winery has done it was truly unfortunate that the owner Robert “Budge” Brown had been discovered in the Sierras, deceased at age 78 in a single engine plane crash the day before our visit – after he and his plane went missing for several days prior. The motto at Cleavage Creek is ‘Live to Love Life’ – Budge certainly did that and gave back in so many ways.

Budge started Cleavage Creek after his wife Arlene succumbed to breast cancer in 2005. He and Arlene originally purchased the property before she was diagnosed with plans to turn it into to retreat center for women. Budge purchased the existing “Cleavage Creek” label/name from another winery and released his first wine in 2007.

Farming was certainly not something new to Brown. He had been farming a number of crops in the Manteca area for 60 years. Along with farming he started the very popular Manteca Waterslides which operated for 31 years and were visited by not only local but International visitors in the summer time.

The winery and tasting room opened in November 2010. With 94 acres on site, 27 of which are planted and another 20 planted acres in San Joaquin & Stanislaus Counties, Cleavage Creek has a variety of vineyards to source fruit from. Tulip Hill Winery in neighboring Lake County is also under the same ownership and some of their wines are made there.

They make wines from their two vineyard locations – the Tracy Hills is an appellation near the town of Tracy on the edges of California’s Central Valley and their Napa Valley wines are made from grapes grown on the estate. Following in his dad’s farming footsteps, Budge’s son Jeff manages their Mt. Oso Vineyard in the Tracy Hills. All their Tracy Hills wines are the same price per bottle. Discounts are given for case purchases. Two of their most popular wines are the non Napa “Secret White” and the “Secret Red” – always blends which vary from year to year. The composition of these wines isn’t really a secret; just ask at the tasting room and they will tell you.

The 2008 “Secret white” is mostly Viognier with just a splash of Semillon. Nice honeysuckle, orange blossom and lime aromas show on the bouquet with notes of pear and other tropical fruits on the palate. There is nice weight and a rounded mouth feel – with a finish that lingers delicately with some mineral components.

Pope Valley is certainly off of Napa’s “beaten path” – narrow windy roads are the norm here with few wineries and no crowds. A gravel parking lot greets you upon pulling in with rolling hillside vineyards located behind the actual tasting room and winery. The property is quite scenic – especially in March when a plethora of tulips on site are in full bloom. We had to ask twice to make sure we heard the correct number – yes 290,000 bulbs (daffodils, iris, tulips) are planted on the property! The tasting room is nicely decorated – note the brass ceiling (imported from Canada) reminiscent of an old saloon from the 1800′s. Information about Breast Cancer, survivor stories and the Cleavage Creek newsletter are available for pickup inside the tasting room.

Petite Sirah was Budge’s favorite wine and this varietal is grown on site along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, Malbec and a bit of Zinfandel. Their different vintages from this varietal are all dark inky “big” wines. Unlike most of their wines which are meant to be consumed at the time of purchase this wine needs some time to age and balance out. Big tannins and a big finish are the hallmarks of the several vintages we tried of this varietal – even from their older vintages.

Their 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon shows nice fruit and acidity – a good food wine. More red than dark fruit shows with lingering fruit and coarse tannins and a bit of spicy pepper towards the finish.

Breast Cancer survivors pose for each of the wine labels and those who are selected for the label have their story published on the Cleavage Creek website. Around 200 women apply each year and go through a screening process. You can apply directly through their website using the application form. 10% of all gross profits are donated to fight Breast Cancer. The winery supports several Breast Cancer organizations including “Casting for Recovery” a fly fishing group for breast cancer survivors, and the much needed Adopt-A-Patient program in which they help fund patients who may not be able to afford treatments their insurance doesn’t cover.

By joining their wine club you become a “contributor” – helping to fund breast cancer research & support. For more information on this unique Napa winery please visit: www.cleaveagecreek.com

NOTE: This review has been archived.
REASON: Owner Budge Brown died in a single engine plane crash California’s Sierra Nevada’s. The winery closed down not long after that and was sold to a group from Hong Kong.