Mike Grgich (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Grgich) is an iconic figure in California winemaking. As part of our Napa Valley Wine Train trip, we really enjoyed a visit to Grgich Hills Estate (http://www.grgich.com/), which he cofounded.
Grgich was born to a winemaking family in Yugoslavia, and grew up there. After studying viticulture and oenology at the University of Zagreb, he left communist Yugoslavia and ended up in California, via West Germany and Canada.
He worked in a number of California wineries before going to work as the winemaker at Chateau Montelena in the Napa Valley. One of the wines he produced there was a 1973 chardonnay.
In 1976, Steven Spurrier, the British owner of a fine wine shop in London organized a blind tasting of French and American wines in Paris. The judges in the tasting were among the best French judges. In the morning, there was a tasting of white wines, and in the afternoon, a tasting of red wines.
The French wines in both tastings were among the best in France. The French whites were some of the best offerings of Burgundy - 1973 Meursault-Charmes, a 1973 Beaune Clos des Mouches, a 1973 Bâtard-Montrachet, and a 1972 Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles. To the surprise of everyone, especially the French judges, Mike Grgich’s 1973 chardonnay received the highest score of the entire competition, including the reds. Mike did not even know that his wine had been taken to the competition.
Another California wine, a Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon scored higher than any of the great Bordeaux red wines entered in the tasting.
The following year, Mike partnered with Austin Hills of Hills Bros. Coffee to open Grgich Hills Estate. It now owns 366 acres in five Napa Valley vineyards.
Our guide for the tour of the winery was a fellow named Michael. He was very knowledgeable, very funny, and very animated. He constantly kept us laughing while informing us. We think he may have been inspired by the grape.
We first saw grapes being brought to the winery. Michael told us that the grapes are picked between 2 am and 4 am. He also mentioned that only people who were local and who had a membership card from the local grange could participate in the grape harvest.
He explained that Grgich Hills uses wild yeast for the fermentation of its wines. Wild yeast is the yeast that occurs naturally on the skin of the grapes. Other winemakers add yeast to their grapes.
He also explained that Grgich Hills prunes its vines so that the fruit hangs low. There is an interesting YouTube video in which the Grgich Hills vineyard manager explains how Grgich Hills does its pruning - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EqNREQOeXg . Since all the pruning is done by hand, this involves a great deal of work.
When I asked about the yellow flowers I had seen between the rows of grape vines, he said they were mustard plants. I learned later that they help control nematodes, a type of worm that can destroy grape vines.
In subsequent research, I learned that biodynamic farming is used in all five Grgich Hills vineyards. They use no herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers. They enrich their soils through their own compost. See - http://www.grgich.com/about/vyd_farming.cfm and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUrQZt3ByDQ&feature=related
Michael said that Grgich Hills produces 50,000 cases of wine per year, which he compared to Mondavi’s production of 1.5 million cases per year.
Michael mentioned that Grgich Hills uses its wooden barrels only five times for aging wines.
When we were inside the winery, we encountered Mike Grgich, who is now 88. He spoke to our group for a while, but I was too far from him to catch what he was saying. I could see a range of expressions on his face, from very serious to very light and smiling.
Mike Grgich
The wines we tasted at Grgich Hills were excellent to very nice :
- 2008 Carneros Selection Chardonnay - excellent
- 2009 Napa Valley Fumé Blanc, made with 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes - very nice
- 2008 Napa Valley Zinfandel, 97% Zinfandel, 3% Petite Sirah - very nice
- 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - excellent ( a couple of wine critics have rated this wine at 96 points)
With Michael in the Tasting Room
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