Great wine speaks of place. At Origin-Napa, we produce red and white wines that echo and
interpret the intricacies of the Napa Valley appellation. We manage our vineyards with natural
farming practices to encourage vine balance and pure fruit expression. Our winemaking
emphasizes minimal intervention and single-vineyard, micro-lot fermentations to preserve the
essential character of the land. We favor low yields, native yeast fermentations, and no
filtration to create wines that are pure, accurate and reflective of their exceptional origin.
The sixteen-acre Gamble Vineyard is located in Yountville, north of Carneros at the southern
end of the Napa Valley. This superb rocky site, framed by rugged mountains to the east and
west, is warm enough to develop Sauvignon Blanc’s tropical fruit flavors, yet cool enough to
retain its natural fruit balance and crispness. Tom Gamble chose his bud wood by massale
selection, a traditional practice of obtaining cuttings from great vineyards possessing highly
desirable traits. Half of the Gamble vineyard is planted to the Sauvignon Musque clone, a third
generation of the original bud wood brought from the Loire in the 1950s. The other half is
planted to the Preston (Lou Preston) clone, descended from the Graves region of Bordeaux. Our
farming emphasizes sustainable agriculture methods to achieve healthy and balanced vines.
Our fruit is hand-harvested cold, in the early hours of the day, and taken directly to the press
to preserve fruit and flavor integrity.
Gentle and natural are the key words to use when describing our winemaking. Only the first
pressings are used in our Sauvignon Blanc, leaving the bitter remains to return to the land as
pomace. Once pressed, the wine is racked to barrel where the indigenous yeasts will begin the
process of fermentation. Up to 10 weeks later, as the slow bubbling ceases, the yeasts settle to
rest in the barrels. Periodically, a gentle stir is given to impart additional richness to the wine.
When the right balance of flavor and texture is reached, a gentle push with nitrogen allows the
wine to be racked off its lees and chilled for bottling. Once bottled, it then is aged for an
additional four months to achieve the desired level of richness and complexity.
