Casey Flat Ranch, Amazing Wine from Remote Capay Valley AVA
The Capay Valley AVA borders Napa County, Lake County, and Colusa County. If you’ve never heard of Capay Valley it’s because it’s still fairly new to wine making having only obtained AVA status in 2002. The area is full of olive trees and fruit orchards but there are not a lot of grapes grown or wines made in this area and this is part of the excitement of Casey Flat Ranch wines. Casey Flat Ranch is located in Guinda, California in the Capay Valley in the northwest of Yolo County.
The Morey family who owns a 6000 acre ranch in the Capay Valley had the vision to grow grapes and make estate wines on their property. After enlisting the help of experts, they decided to plant their grapes in 2003 on a rocky soiled mountain slope at a 2000 foot altitude. A lot of thought went into the location of the vineyards and what varietals to plant and that attention to detail carries thru to the management of the vineyards, the harvesting of the grapes, and the creation of Casey Flat wines.
Planted on the estate are 24 acres of Bordeaux and Rhone varietal grape vines and these vines provide the grapes for Casey Flat’s Estate wines. The vineyards are sustainably cultivated using materials and farming techniques that emphasize water and soil conservation, including use of canopy management and hand harvesting. The winery is definitely a labor of love and that certainly shows in not only the way the vineyards are managed but in the taste of the wines.
Winemaker Laura Barrett is very passionate about the wine she makes and managing partner Alison Garrett is very passionate about the Casey Flat property and this passion shines thru in the wines of Casey Flat Ranch.
I recently had the opportunity to taste some of the wines of Casey Flat Ranch as a part of a tasting on Twitter hosted by Charles Communications with winemaker Laura Barrett and winery managing partner Allison Garrett. I was then invited to tour the property and taste the wines again onsite at a special media lunch where the wines were paired with delicious food from Thomas McNaughton of San Francisco’s Central Kitchen
Casey Flat Ranch has two different labels Open Range & Casey Flat Ranch. Both are made by winemaker Laura Barrett with Open Range wines made from sourced grapes and Casey Flat Ranch wines made from estate grown fruit.
The Open Range Red Blend which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc has great fruit flavors. It won a double gold medal at the 2014 SF Chronicle wine Competition and at just $18 is a great value and a perfect everyday red.
Casey Flat Ranch 2013 Rose $18 is made from Syrah. It is a beautiful pink color and is dry with nice acidity. It has notes of strawberry and raspberry with very light spice on the finish. This is a great summer sipper but because of its structure also will pair well with food.
Casey Flat Ranch 2013 Sauvignon Blanc $18 tastes of tropical fruit with nice brightness and acidity. It’s refreshing and paired perfectly with a spring vegetable salad with parmesan custard but would also be great by itself on a warm summer day.
Casey Flat Ranch 2013 Viognier $18 is aged in neutral oak it has medium body and is delicate smooth and refined. This wine has a great floral bouquet and an amazing texture and mouth feel. The wine tastes of stone fruit with hints of spice and lavender. It paired well with salmon with creme fraiche and because of it’s texture and structure will hold up to and balance rich dishes quite well.
Casey Flat Ranch 2010 Estate Red Wine $35 is 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Syrah, 19% Cabernet Franc & 4% Mourvedre. This wine has nice depth complexity and elegance with layers of herb and blackberry fruit. It won a double gold medal at the 2014 SF Chronicle wine competition and should just improve evolve and get better with age!
Casey Flat Ranch is located high atop the Vaca mountains overlooking the Capay Valley. It’s very rustic and peaceful and there are plans underway to bring visitors out to taste the wines and experience the beauty and tranquility of the Capay Valley, so stay tuned if you want to visit. Meanwhile, I highly recommend you give the wines of Casey Flat Ranch a try! The wines are available online and at RootStock tasting room in Winters
For more details on Casey Flat Ranch wines visit www.caseyflatranch.com
Tags: Alison Garrett, Capay Valley AVA, Casey Flat Ranch, Central Kitchen, Charles Commmunications, Estate Red, Laura Barrett, Open Range, Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Syraj, Thomas McNaughton, Viognier
