Part 1 A visit to Judd's Hill

A VISIT TO JUDD’S HILL VINEYARDS AND WINERY IN CONN VALLEY
Part 1 of 3, By John Olney, Copyright , May 13, 2005. All rights reserved.

About 9:15 am, Thursday, May 12, I visited my business mailbox, which I discovered was filled with a handful of specials offers, and some newsletters from quite a few wineries. I didn’t even start to open the mail as I was anticipating my drive up to the winery I wanted to visit in Conn Valley. This is a magnificently beautiful sub region of Napa County with less than a dozen smaller wineries to enjoy. Located in the gentle rolling hills alternating with green meadows east of St. Helena, it nestles up against the Vaca mountain range that separates Napa County from the much dryer farm land of the Central Valley of California.

The morning air was still and the sky clear in shirtsleeve weather. I was driving up valley via Silverado Trail: the north-south road connecting Napa to Calistoga, along the eastern side of the Napa River. I was in route to Judd’s Hill vineyards and winery to visit with one of its owners, Holly Finkelstein. Now, something in my mind told me I knew this name, but I just couldn’t put my finger on where, when or how.

Conn Valley has two routes in and out. One way is to use the ingress by following the turnoff at Howell Mountain Road. This exit off Silverado Trail is slightly north of the famous (maybe infamous) stone bridge at the intersection of Pope Street with the Trail. Up until this year this was the road you took to find the driveway into Meadowood Resort (and Country Club). However, Meadowood apparently received permission for a direct access off of Silverado Trail. As I started the gently curving road I couldn’t help but notice how truly beautiful the area was. No sooner had I left the Trail than suddenly I found myself in a narrow corridor of trees and shrubs. I immediately flashed back to the horse and saddle, and buggy days wondering if the earlier frontiersmen viewed this entryway to the interior valley in the same manner as I do now?

I passed the former driveway into the club and started the gradual ascent up the foot of Howell Mountain. Then to my left was the continuation of Howell Mountain road, which would take one up the mountain to the town of Angwin. (The winery of, D.R. Stevens is located along this route). Straight ahead was the entry road, Conn Valley, which I now would travel to my final destination. It gently curves and winds its way adjacent to a creek into the heart of the valley. It was a beautiful and peaceful drive. I reflected for a moment on the man for whom the valley is named: John Conn. He had traveled to Napa in the 1840’s. Apparently the man had become quite a successful rancher owning most of this valley and a very large herd of cattle. However, booze was his downfall and he eventually lost everything squandering it away while imbibing his way through life.

Suddenly I was startled from my thoughts by a quickly approaching old yellow farm truck from my rear: a rancher undoubtedly in a hurry to get to fields and crops. I moved over and off the road to let him by as I approached the second of the former old great wineries in this valley. It was the crumbling and overgrown stone building of the former G. Crochat & Co.’s, Franco-Swiss winery. It is located just to the left of the driveway into Seavey Vineyard and winery. What happened to first old winery? I drove by it, near the Rossi street turnoff, as I was daydreaming about old John Conn. It was the former Mountain Cove Ranch winery that now is converted into a beautiful private residence. Also located up Rossi is Anderson’s Conn Valley Winery.

Back onto the main road I now was approaching the turnoff onto Greenfield. Now, this is an interesting drive! The road narrows and the curves are blind. I knew to drive slowly and alertly as the locals know the road but I didn’t. Suddenly a brown UPS delivery truck came around the curve. I’m sure the driver saw the whites of my eyes as I moved so far to the right I was almost scrapping the hillside. We made it by each other and all he did was give me that knowing smile- -you know, the one that says, “Scared you, did I?” A couple more turns and there was the Judd’s Hill driveway turn-off, but I was early for my appointment so I went by and continued up the hill.

I had not been in this area since about 1988 when I came up to visit Buehler Winery to request use of their label on my poster-map. As I approached the Buehler gate there, off to my left, stood the old stone and wood winery relic that once housed the first Salmina family enterprise back in the 1860s-70s. This family also operated the Larkmead winery, which in the 1960s through 1980s housed Hanns Kornell Champagne and is now owned by Frank Family Vineyards. It was getting close to my appointment time so I didn’t continue on up the hill to the Amizetta Winery.

I turned into the driveway and headed down to the building that is immediately visible in front of you as you quickly descend from Greenfield. On my right was an open gate to a gravel road that looked like an access way to work the vineyards. I drove up to the building, which now looked more like a home than a winery. A bespeckled older gentleman came out of the garage and in a very friendly voice asked if I was looking for Judd’s Hill winery. Sheepishly I said I was. I now knew I should have turned at the open gate. We chatted for a few minutes and I showed him my poster-map that included the Buehler wine label. He offered that Mrs. Buehler was coming to his home that evening for dinner and he would tell her about our chance meeting. He then showed me how to get back to the Judd’s Hill property.

I turned down the gravel road and immediately ahead of me were about six SUV’s and mini-vans parked in all the available space by the winery building. I could see that the driveway continued on downhill and went around the winery heading back toward Greenfield. I drove onto the crush pad, stopped and was looking for somebody to tell me where to park when suddenly Art Finkelstein came up from the side and told me just to leave it where it was, keys in it in case it had to be moved for somebody to leave the site. I was finally here and ready to meet with Holly. The name Finkelstein still haunted me. Where did I know this name?

Part 2, “A Conversation with Holly -- The Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa -- of Judd’s Hill,” of this three-part article will appear week of May 16, 2005. Part 3, “Tasting Judd’s Hill a 1,000 feet up,” will appear week of May 23, 2005

Part 2 of Visiting Judd's Hill Winery

A VISIT TO JUDD’S HILL
VINEYARDS AND WINERY IN CONN VALLEY

Part 2 of 3

“A Conversation with Holly
-- The Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa --
of Judd’s Hill,”

By John Olney, Copyright , May 13, 2005. All rights reserved.

As I stepped out of my car and walked toward the three gentleman standing next to the cellar doorway and Art Finkelstein, I quickly recognized the wonderfully intoxicating aroma of wine in barrels. Art and his guests were sampling a little of the Judd’s Hill red wine which I guessed was their Cab or their Pinot. Art turned and provided me guidance to the office area of the winery which is built into the hillside and underneath their home. I carefully negotiated the cold steel staircase descending into the bowels of the fermentation and barrel rooms fronting the offices that overlook the hillside vineyards.

Suddenly a pleasant female voice, apologetic in tone, yelled out to me that she was on the phone and was sorry for the delay but would be right out. I immediately responded for her to take care of her business first; that I was not in a hurry. I then wandered around reading the barrel coding in attempt to discover what new delight would soon be ready for bottling and subsequent release. I was just starting to get an idea of what the scratching’s were on the barrels when the telephone voice suddenly spoke from behind me in a quick but pleasant tone introducing herself as Holly Finkelstein. Outwardly, while just standing there, Holly first struck me as a demure woman, but as she migrated us towards the wine cellar meeting room she immediately launched into a monolog about the winery all the while displaying a bundle of energy and exuding an obvious love for what she was accomplishing professionally. I could see that one would be foolish to underestimate this woman.

As we sat down across from each other, she asked me to explain my business: The Wine Country Club. She gave me the platform I enjoy so much which is to talk about the advantages to smaller winegrowers to combine their limited resources and market themselves collectively. I showed her how my wine club could effectively operate like a clearinghouse bringing wine producers and bibbers to a common area for their sharing of wine from their respective points of view. I elaborated on the marketing potential of the web journal networks that were growing at astonishing rates, both in terms of number of users and the quality of the “networking” that was being shared among wine consumers. Holly understood and said that she saw the potential for both the regular commercial websites as well as what the potential could bring from “blogging.” But, she added that like so many other things that show potential, there are only so many dollars available for salaries and marketing. She indicated that it was all a matter of priorities. I explained to her that this is exactly why I was creating The Wine Country Club. I saw the light bulb go on in her head.

Holly and I began discussions about how my plans and those of the winery could have a mutually benefiting future, when another woman entered the room and introduced herself as Bunnie. She was careful to point out the exact spelling of the name. Holly encouraged her to explain how she got the name and my unanswered question was soon complete. It came about while she was graduating college and carried over into her life when she and her husband, Art Finkelstein, and his brother, Alan Steen, opened Whitehall Lane Winery back in the late 1970s. This got us all reminiscing and I brought out my wine label poster-maps that I created in the mid and late 1980s. Their Whitehall lane was displayed on my first poster-map released in 1987. This leap back in time came to halt when the phones started ringing and Bunnie ran off to face the next challenge of the early morning business day; one which was obviously already hectic but in a good way. So, where did Holly fit into this picture? Well, she married Judd, the son of Art and Bunnie, for whom the winery had been named.

The Finkelstein’s are very serious about their wines as they are about the many other joys available in life that come from hard, disciplined and successful work. Art’s first career was as an architect in Southern California where he also became a home winemaker. Talk about the absolutely perfect type training and experience for a winemaker! Certainly the discipline and vision required to be an architect would have to rank among the highest of excellent backgrounds for winemaking The art of winemaking requires the same attributes as those of an architect as the vintner goes about growing and selecting grapes to be constructed into just the right balance among the sensory perceptions of the final wine product. Over the years, Art has also become an accomplished ceramicist as well as chef. Bunnie has an artistic background and she was the creative force behind the winery’s desire to incorporate poetry to compliment Judd’s Hill wines the result of which can be seen on the winery website postings.

Then I got some insight into the next generation behind the Finkelstein wines. Besides his commitment to winegrowing, Judd is devoted to the Ukulele, often thought of as originally an instrument of the Polynesian cultures but not so. It’s origin is from the Portuguese who brought it with them to the Pacific Islands as they explored the region. If you have been to Hawaii you would swear that the “Uke” must have originated there. Finally, there’s Holly. Her background includes an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management located in Southern California. Her previous business experience included serving as a Program Officer within Steven Spielberg’s “Righteous Persons Foundation.” Marrying Judd meant she would not only become heavily involved in his interest in the grapes of Napa Valley but also in the “Uke” and Hawaiian music as well. She decided to study Hawaiian dance, thus was born the musical group, “The Maikai Gents Featuring the Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa." My thoughts immediately flashed to my memories of the Kodak Hula shows in Waikiki with guys and their bare chests and the gals in their grass skirts and coconut shells mesmerizing the tourists. I could see the same happening to the wine tasters wherever the Maikai Gents and Miss Mauna Loa were performing!!

Talk about enthusiasm! Bunnie came back to our meeting just as Holly and I were wrapping up discussion of the musical group. Bunnie asked about my knowledge of the Uke and Hawaii and I had to confess to her that before I came to Napa, I lived in Honolulu, on the Island of Oahu, from 1969 to 1985. I added that for a period of time I actually played the banjo. With that she and Holly were actively recruiting me to join their local Ukulele group called “The Wine Country Flea Jumpers.” Whew, with the two of them working me beautifully, I just barely managed to wiggle out of a commitment for the immediate future, but who knows what will happen down the wine stream!

The meeting had been consumed with great reflections and some promising exchanges of ideas, but we had already met for a longer period than any of us had planned. We all had other meetings quickly approaching, so we decided to forgo wine tasting on this day -- besides it was only 11:00 am -- but promised to meet in a few more days and share Judd’s Hill wine while continuing our discussions.

A cautionary comment: Please don’t just drive up to the winery. Because of its location being on a winding narrow road, the agricultural preservation of the land, and out of respect to the privacy of their neighbors, the Finkelstein’s impressed on me the need to seriously request that you call in advance and make a reservation. (707-963-9093) You may have to wait awhile to visit this winery and its magnificent country-setting for wine tasting, but if what I saw in the people and the land are the mark, the wait will be worth it. I’m waiting …..and will report my results as soon as I’m back down Judd’s Hill and on my keyboard.

Part 3 of this series, “Tasting Judd’s Hill a 1,000 feet up,” will appear the week of May 23, 2005

A VISIT TO JUDD’S HILL VINEYARDS AND WINERY IN CONN VALLEY
“Tasting Judd’s Hill a 1,000 feet up,”

Part 3 of 3, By John Olney, Copyright , June 2, 2005. All rights reserved.

Well, another gorgeous day in Napa Valley, California, and even better yet in Conn Valley, located just to the east of the town of St. Helena. About an hour ago I meet with Susan Greene of Seavey Vineyards and winery. Adjacent to this property, right at the intersection of Conn Valley Road and the Seavey driveway, stands the old C. Crochet & Co. buildings which went by the name “Franco-Swiss Winery” when it first operated back in the 1880s. Much to my surprise, I learned that the original property was divided among family members way back in the history of the land and well before the Seavey’s came to town in the 1970s. It turns out that the old ghost winery is not part of Seavey’s property, but belongs to another property owner across the way from the Seavey‘s. I’ll be reporting on this and subsequent visits to Seavey Vineyards in the near future.

Right now I’m on my way back up to Judd’s Hill to taste wine and discuss the Finkelstein’s plans for their new winery operation under construction along Silverado Trail, near the intersection with Hardman, just northeast of the City of Napa. They plan to open this new site in the fall of this year.

This time I reached the winery without disturbing any neighbors. However just one long curve in the narrow road before the driveway to Judd’s Hill, I ran into commuter gridlock! Just ahead of me was the same UPS delivery guy and a passenger car who were suddenly stopped and maneuvering to allow a couple of cars coming down the hill to pass.

I clamored down the staircase just like I was an old hand at this winery and descended into the barrel room area where I was met by Holly and Bunnie. Soon, Judd walked into the room. After all the usual pleasantries, we moved to the tasting room adjacent to the wine barrels to start our tastings and discussions.

I asked about the plans for this current site and what name for the new winery was going to be since it would not be standing on a hill; at least not a very high one. Judd and Holly answered simultaneously that they were retaining the Judd’s Hill name and would be using it at the new facilities. Just about that time Art Finkelstein came by in hurry to organize for his realtor who was bringing back a client interested in a second look of the property. With a quick hello and goodbye, he bounded off towards the parking area.

The first wine I tasted was the 2003 Pinot Noir. This wine is from the Milliken Vineyard located along the Silverado Trail just north of Trancas Street, Napa. Judd indicated that the winery surrounds the site of their new winery complex. The old stone bridge crossing Milliken Creek at the eastern end of Trancas (where it turns into Monticello Avenue) was added to the National Registry of Historical bridges in August of 2004. Constructed in 1908, this is the last five-span masonry arch bridge remaining in California. This creek was once used as the main contributor for Napa’s first water supply system.

Just as the winemaker’s tasting notes describe, the raspberry fruit flavor was prevalent. The wine was light on oak influence. Judd said that they use very little new French Oak and they added a hint of American Oak. The wine was truly soft on my tongue. A very enjoyable wine and made in manner that I like in my favorite red varietal. There were only 276 cases of this wine produced.

While we were tasting the wine, they got me talking about Hawaii and just as we were about to move on to taste the 2001 Petite Sirah, Holly asked Judd to retrieve his Ukulele and provide some background to our tasting event. Judd‘s face lit up and he raced away quickly returning with the Uke. While contemplating my sensory perceptions of this wine I was being serenaded by Judd playing the Uke while singing Don Ho’s classic, “Tiny Bubbles.” That brought back a lot memories of the 17 years I lived in Honolulu, and particularly my play days (and nights!) in Waikiki.

The wine derives from the vineyards of long time friends of the Finkelstein’s; the Cranston Brothers out of Acampo, California. Judd informed me that only 200 cases of this wine were produced. I’m fairly new to the Petite Sirah taster’s. I still have not yet fully appreciated the taste of this varietal and that’s probably because of its nature to display tannins. I had no negative reactions to the wine but it isn’t the style of wine I really enjoy. Let me add here, that’s not the problem of the grape, the winemaker or the wine but rather the result of my inexperience with this varietal.

Through out all of this tasting, Judd was talking to me explaining the wines while strumming away at the Uke and occasionally singing a little Hawaiian music. I asked where “The Maikai Gents Featuring The Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa” would be appearing next. Saturday, June 11, they will perform at Vintners Collective in downtown Napa at Judd’s Hill’s own Release Party.

We moved on to the third wine to be tasted this day: the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a blend of Judd’s Hill estate vineyard grapes with others selected from around the valley. The tasting notes accompanying this wine list the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes as selected from the vineyards of the Garvey Family (Flora Springs), Clark-Claudon and Van denBosch as well has Judd’s Hill. These grapes represents 74% of the blend. The balance of 16% is equally divided among Merlot and Cabernet Franc all coming from Juliana Vineyard. I liked the Finkelstein’ winemaking style. The fruit came forward distinctly through the Oak and tannin providing a very pleasant after-taste. I will be adding this wine to my lists of wines to enjoy in the future.

I asked about their other business venture, Napa Valley Custom MicroCrush (NVCMC) This brought on much excitement from both Judd and Holly. But, before moving into this subject, they were quick to point out to me that they were thrilled about being selected as the producer of the Sundance Merlot. Holly then explained that Sundance Resort in Utah has established a partnering program with distinctive winemakers to participate in the Sundance “Celebrating Wine as Art Program.” Congratulations to the Finkelstein’s and Judd’s Hill winery!

We then returned to discussions about the MicroCrush business. They started up this venture back in 1992 using their excess capacity to provided distinctive wines to private individuals as well as corporate clients under their own production labels. The Finkelstein’s provide a revolving door service to their clients assisting them in grape selection and purchase through crush, fermentation, aging, bottling, and labeling including meandering through all the federal, state and local governmental red tape associated to the production, labeling and sale of alcoholic beverages.

I had now overstayed my welcome and with many apologies for taking up so much of their time, I said my goodbyes for now and I let them get back to their work. Judd, Holly, Bunnie, Art, with all my Alooooohaaa , thanks for letting me visit your lives, facilities and wines. I truly enjoyed our time together and look forward to visiting you all in your new home in the fall.

Sidebar: Just in case you might be wondering, I have absolutely no business ties with Judd’s Hill winery or vineyards, the entertainment groups of the Finkelstein’s, or the custom MicroCrush business. I did not receive any kind of compensation for writing the three-part series on the Judd’s Hill operations. They provide me with the tasting session at no cost, however, I gifted them with four copies of my 1987 classic wine label poster-map featuring their former winery, Whitehall Lane.