Reserve Club
January 2026

Snowden Merlot “Lost Vineyard” 2022

We spotlighted the Snowden Cabernet Sauvignon “The Ranch” a few years ago, and for this selection, I am delighted to introduce their outstanding Merlot, of which they only produce 208 cases. I have often written about how Merlot is just as complex as Cabernet Sauvignon and, in most wine regions, is considered the more powerful variety. However, in Napa Valley, Merlot has been vilified, so this selection was made to set the record straight once and for all. While this particular example is not an overly powerful wine, it will show that Merlot can be just as complex as any Cabernet Sauvignon.

The family history and the creation of the Snowden winery were covered in the January 2021 write-up for the Reserve Club. I reposted that write-up on our website for anyone who wants to review their story. To briefly summarize, the founders, Wayne and Virginia Snowden, began looking for land in Napa Valley in 1954 after falling in love with the area. They settled on a 160-acre parcel east of the Silverado Trail that was mostly planted to fruit trees. The Snowdens planted a 6-acre parcel with help from Nathan Fay of the famed Fay Vineyard of Stag’s Leap, selling the fruit to several Napa wineries.

After Wayne’s death in 1977, Virginia handed over the reins to their sons, Scott and Randy. They immediately began replanting their vineyard due to disease and expanding their plantings across the property. Today, the estate features 23 acres of vines, divided into six vineyards scattered across the property. Since the family is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of their farming, they leave extensive green space between their vineyards for indigenous flora and fauna.

From the late 1970s to 2002, the family sold all their grapes to some of the biggest names in Napa Valley, including Dave Ramey, Silver Oak, Viader, and Caymus. Then, starting in 2003, they began holding back a small percentage of their crop to produce their own wine. It is no coincidence that they started to produce their wine as their daughter, Diane Snowden Seysses, was ready to take the reins. Diane was born and raised in Napa Valley and earned her Viticulture and Enology degree from the University of California, Davis. During and after her studies, she worked at wineries in California and France, including Robert Mondavi Winery, Mumm Napa Valley, Araujo Estate, Ramey Wine Cellars, Fleur de Boüard, and Domaine Leflaive. During her time in Burgundy, she met and married Jeremy Seysses of the famous Domaine Dujac. Today, she and Jeremy divide their time between the two areas, as she is the head winemaker for both properties. As Dujac produces almost exclusively Pinot Noir, you can see her deft hand in understanding how to coax tremendous complexity from her wines without relying on overripeness, excessive oak, or additives such as high color concentrates or residual sugar.

The grapes for this wine come from a tiny block of Merlot from their Lost Vineyard, the highest plantings on the Ranch. Originally, this block was planted for blending, but Diane recognized the quality and now pulls out 8 barrels each vintage to bottle as a standalone. In 2022, the higher elevation of this vineyard—800 feet above sea level—meant the vines received some relief from the Labor Day heat wave that blanketed the valley. While many vineyards at lower elevations suffered drought-related stress, the vines in the Lost Vineyard never withered, and the fruit was picked at the perfect balance of sugar and acidity. This vintage is also blended with 3% Grenache, sourced from their “Test Block” of experimental varieties they are considering for the future.

Decant this wine for half an hour before serving, and serve at cellar temperature. The bouquet is a gorgeous combination of fresh red plums and black cherries, rose petals, cinnamon, cedar maduro cigar wrapper, and dark chocolate. On the palate, there is ample fruit restrained by modest tannins and enough tension to make this an excellent dinner wine. Serve with grilled pork tenderloin marinated in soy and garlic, or seared duck breasts with a cherry pan sauce.

Priest Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

This is the second time we have featured the Cabernet Sauvignon from Priest Ranch, the first being the 2013 release back in 2017. The wine comes from a sprawling 660-acre vineyard that lies in the Vaca Mountains, due east and above the Snowden Ranch. For years, many wineries have farmed vineyards in the high valleys of the Vaca Mountains as the secret ingredient to provide power and structure to wines produced in their valley floor vineyards. Then the wines of Pritchard Hill, produced by Colgin, Schrader, and Chappellet, all priced well over $300 a bottle, brought the spotlight to this area.

The original land grant for this property was issued to the Priest family in 1869, and they owned the estate for 100 years. It was purchased by the current owner, Allan Chapman, in 2004, who then acquired the neighboring property, known as Elder Valley, in 2006. He joined the two properties—1,628 acres in all—and renamed them the Somerston estate. This rugged property boasts three ridge lines, two valleys, and a change in elevation of over 1,600 feet, with the peak at 2,400 feet above sea level. Due to the rugged terrain, there are only 244 acres planted to grapevines, divided into 100 different parcels. They grow 17 different varieties from which they produce 12,000 cases of wine, divided among three brands: Highflyer, Priest Ranch, and Somerston Estate.

To produce this Cabernet Sauvignon, winemaker Cody Hurd selects grapes from 24 different vineyard blocks on the estate. Thanks to their high elevation, they also suffered no ill effects from the Labor Day heat wave, allowing each unique site to reach full ripeness without stress. The wine was fermented in tank and then aged for 20 months in a combination of 40% new French oak and the remaining second-pass barrels. A total of 5,750 cases of this wine were produced.

When you open this wine, make sure to decant it for at least one hour before serving and take it down to cellar temperature if possible. Once you do, it explodes from the glass with a decadent combination of blackberry and blueberry jam, sassafras, tangerine peel, Maduro cigar wrapper, and black peppercorns. On the palate, it is quite powerful, with soft and generous tannins framing the ample fruit, complemented by just a touch of acidity. Drink from 2025 to 2030 with pot roast, steaks, or lamb chops.

Patricia Green Pinot Noir “Old Vines” 2022

I first met Patty Green in the late 1990s when she was the winemaker for Torii Mor, a Willamette Valley winery we worked closely with due to a relationship with the local distributor. Then, in 2000, she had a falling out with the owners for reasons never disclosed and walked out, along with assistant winemaker Jim Anderson. Their timing was good, as shortly after, the owners of Autumn Wind Winery called and asked if they wanted to buy their facility. With a winery, an estate vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, and a rolodex of the top growers in the Willamette Valley, they launched Patricia Green Wines with a commitment to terroir-driven Pinot Noirs. Sadly, Patty passed in 2017, but Jim continues their mission, producing as many as 26 different wines each vintage.

An example of their commitment to examining Pinot Noir at a granular level is the way they may bottle several wines from a single source, selecting specific clones, vineyard blocks, or soil types to exemplify. For their own estate vineyard, they often bottle several wines, but in the spring of 2022, they were hit with a frost that reduced the crop by 70%. With so little fruit, Jim made the decision to bottle it all under one label—this Old Vine bottling.

The estate vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA was planted between 1984 and 1988, making these some of the oldest vines in the Willamette Valley. Most of this vineyard is planted to the Pommard clone of Pinot Noir, and all the vines are self-rooted, meaning no rootstock, and are dry-farmed without irrigation. Jim destemmed all the grapes and used only 5% new oak, with the balance of aging done in older, neutral wood casks for 10 months. All of the wines at Patricia Green are bottled without filtration and fining.

When ready to serve, you will want to decant this wine for half an hour and serve it at cellar temperature for the best experience. Fans of tightly wound, gripping Pinot Noir will find a lot to explore with this bottle as it opens slowly over a few hours, so do not rush the experience. Upon the first swirl, you are greeted with a mélange of fresh Bing cherries, black raspberries, cranberries, bergamot, and damp forest floor. As the wine unfolds, the fruit broadens and shows a touch more citrus peel and peach, while the tobacco and earth flavors also become more prominent. Structurally, this wine has bright acidity but little tannin, so it is best served with dishes that have some fat, like pan-seared salmon, duck confit, or braised pork.