Moody Nancy Carignane Green Valley 2020

2020 was the year of new hobbies for so many of us. We baked sourdough loaves, learned to speak new languages, knitted intricate scarves, and tackled jigsaw puzzle after jigsaw puzzle. For Tyler Stacy, the owner and winemaker of Moody Wines, 2020 was the year to finally turn his long-desired hobby into a reality and become a winemaker. Over many years selling wine in restaurants and to restaurants, Tyler dreamed of making wines that were "an expression of energy, always different, always changing, yet always the same." When Tyler and I discussed the impetus for starting Moody Wines, he told me his approach wasn't calculated or planned but about jumping in first and figuring it out along the way. Some may see this as haphazard, but it describes Tyler's style perfectly: not taking wine too seriously. Instead, allow the grapes to be the most authentic expression, learn about the wine as it develops, and adapt at the moment. And boy, did we all learn to adapt in 2020! 

Tyler has worked every job possible, from busboy to sommelier to general manager when it comes to food and beverage. However, he never quite felt at home in restaurants and, in 2010, jumped ship in pursuit of cellar work. This search brought him to Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, where he worked 2012, 2013, and 2014 harvests. Sadly, Tyler learned cellar work was not very financially stable and headed back to the States. Through long-time connections, he snagged his current role selling wine in Sacramento and Wine Country with Grandes Places Sélections. He is always on the go, often passing through Fairfield, California, to Napa. Fairfield is a town that holds memories of hiking with his father, is made up mostly of car dealerships, and is home to a few small vineyards. Unfortunately, when the pandemic hit back in March of 2020, Tyler, who was used to the constant hustle of selling wine, was sheltering in place and antsy. With so much extra time on his hands, he approached a good friend, Lisa Howard of Tolenas Winery, with the crazy idea that he was ready to make wine and wanted to do so in Fairfield. Lisa brought him to Green Valley and connected him to multiple growers. Together, they walked the old and gnarly vineyards that eventually comprised Moody's debut vintage.

Sitting merely one mile wide and four miles long, Green Valley is the smallest of the two sub AVAs of Solano County. It is mainly planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel but boasts blocks of lesser-known varietals like Valdiguié and Carignan. The prime location at the base of the Vaca and Mount George ranges, where cold winds from the Suisun Bay breeze-by, proved quite beneficial in 2020. As wildfires blazed in August and September, Green Valley lay relatively untouched. As that breeze blew through, it took with it all the smoke that blanketed so many other vineyards. Moody's Nancy Carignan comes from a 5-acre plot initially planted in 1960 by Enzo Parenti. Vines are head-trained with knotted and knuckled rootstock that is dry-farmed with no chemical treatments.  So, you might be asking yourself (as we did here at the shop), what's with the name Nancy? Tyler quickly learned after a humbling encounter with the farmer of this parcel that in California, the growers refer to this grape as Kerrigan versus its traditional pronunciation of "ker-rig-nuhn." Albeit awkward, the moment served as an important reminder to remain lighthearted and have fun. He discreetly taped a photo of the famed figure skater, Nancy Kerrigan, to his first bin of fruit and chuckled to himself to break a leg.  

After picking in late August, the grapes sat in the bin as 100% whole clusters with dry ice for four days. Tyler then jumped in and lightly foot trodden the wine before fermenting with native yeast over two weeks. Then, in the least glamorous way, Tyler hand-cranked the grapes through a vintage basket press before transferring via Home Depot buckets to two barrels. After aging for nine months in neutral French oak, the 2020 Nancy Carignan was bottled and hand-dipped in beeswax. This wine begs you to drink it right now with its ripe red berries and delicate spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. On the palate, the acidity is balanced, and the tannins are smooth with an underlying savory note, making it a delightful wine to pair with any meal or on its own. So go ahead and pour yourself a glass tonight, and get back to that baking, knitting, or puzzling!