Etxea Stewart Ranch Albariño Napa Valley 2019

Etxea Wines, (pronounced eh-chay-a), is a small label shared between local friends Ryan Pass and Luisa Bonachea. Back in 2014, Ryan and Luisa lived down the block from each other, and as is the neighborly thing to do in Napa, the two would share bottles of wine most evenings. These moments together would lead to late nights on the porch drinking porróns of Albariño and discussing ski seasons past and present. In this way, a close friendship and budding business partnership formed. Ryan and Luisa’s skills perfectly complement each other in this endeavor; Ryan is the winemaker at Farella Vineyard in Coombsville, and Luisa practices trademark law, helping to establish new wine brands. With both sides of the coin covered, the duo has proved to be a formidable partnership that can produce some seriously outstanding wines! 

‘Etxea’ is the Basque word for ‘house’ and is an ode to Luisa’s Basque heritage while also inferring that these are ‘house wines’, meant to be enjoyed amongst friends at a table full of bountiful yet simple food. Now in their fifth vintage, Etxea is making both Albariño and Cabernet Franc from three distinct vineyards, and we could not be more enamored with their line up! The Stewart Ranch Albariño is the latest addition to their portfolio, and one of the most mouth-watering white wines we have had the pleasure of tasting this spring. Stewart Ranch is truly a unique vineyard that is rather uncharacteristic for Napa. It is Napa Valley’s lowest elevation vineyard, located in the flood plains of the Napa River. Surrounded by this brackish water, some of the vines struggle with salt toxicity, and this uniquely results in fruit that is directly expressive of its growing conditions. Couple that with the windy evenings ushered in by the San Pablo Bay which helps the fruit retain some serious acid, and you have a stellar vineyard for Albariño! This wine was whole-cluster pressed, fermented with wild yeast and aged on its lees for ten months in neutral oak barrels. What results is a crisp wine that abounds with salinity and subtle notes of crushed stones, plum and green apple. We have no doubt that this will be your go-to wine all summer long! Enjoy alongside grilled seafood for the perfect Basque-inspired paring. Only 54 cases produced.