This small winery, owned and operated by Bill Cadman since 1975, is a throwback to those old pioneering days before media hype, astronomical prices, and designer wines were the vogue. Here one can find the true glory of California wine: honest, straightforward, unmanipulated wine that is satisfying, unpretentious and fairly priced. Each wine is vineyard designated; winemaking in each instance is dedicated to showcasing the classic varietal character of the grape and the particularities of the specific viticultural region in which each site is located. The current releases from Tulocay are true to the traditions of this superb and limited production winery.

Pinot Noir "Haynes Vineyard" (Napa): The harvest in the year 2000 will represent the 26th consecutive vintage of this outstanding pinot noir at Tulocay. The vineyard is located in the Coombsville district in the southeastern corner of Napa. It is influenced by the climate of Solano County that frequently brings an early morning cover of fog with a resulting long, cool growing season. Yields from this vineyard of 30 year old vines are extremely low with production levels often being below one ton per acre. A brief cold maceration is followed by a two week fermentation period. Malolactic fermentation occurs in small, French oak barrels and the wine is aged in barrel for 20 to 24 months depending on the character of the vintage. The wines at Tulocay are, and have always been, bottled unfined and unfiltered. The "Haynes Vineyard" Pinot shows hints of mint in its early development and then relaxes into a very full bodied, spicy wine with great aging capacity.

Cabernet Sauvignon "Cliff Vineyard" (Napa): This hillside vineyard is located just outside of the Stag's Leap district. It produces blockbuster Cabernet that is typically dark in color, thickly textured, with complex aromas and flavors of black cherry, mint, plum and
leather. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, this wine consistently represents extraordinary value (particularly when compared to its brethren from California and Bordeaux where prices seem never to cease escalating).

Zinfandel "Casanova Vineyard" (Napa): This tiny, steeply terraced vineyard produces classic, full throttle Napa Zinfandel. With yields below 1 ton per acre, this wine is highly concentrated. Alcohol levels range from 14% to 15%+ annually. Marked by briar and macerated plum flavors and aromas, this extremely limited production wine (between 75 and 150 cases per year) is an outstanding example of its type.

NOTE: The 1998 and 1999 vintages will see the arrival of several new wines from Tulocay: a fresh, stainless steel treated Chardonnay from the Carneros district; a barrel fermented & aged Chardonnay from the Wild Horse Vineyard in the southeastern corner of the Napa Valley; and two full bodied, classic Tulocay-styled Zinfandels, one from the Chiles Valley in Napa and the second from Amador County.

Tasting Notes

Zinfandel "Amador County" 1998: from a superbly situated and well-tended vineyard in the Shenandoah Valley district; this is a potent, satisfying wine of large proportions; a wine of immense character, very full bodied, intense, but remarkably well balanced; although its tannins are profound, the ripeness is complete, giving this wine a seductive mouthfeel.