Among their own vineyards (Wappo Hill = AVA Stags Leap Districts, formerly Hartwell), the vineyard at the top of Wappo Hill was owned by Hartwell until the end, and Benoit brewed it as Hartwell, but in 2020, the vineyard at the top of Wappo Hill also became the property of Ream. This vineyard is planted with the Bosch clone, originally grafted by Bob Hartwell in 1986 from the Grace Family vineyard. This is a valuable vineyard with old vines of the Grace Family/Bosch clone still in existence. Ream bottled this plot as a separate wine and named it Hartwell XX. The 2020 vineyard and the 2018 and 2019 wines (Benoit Brewing) were acquired. Released as Hartwell XX. The traditions of Grace and Hartwell will continue into the future.
A special plot adjacent to the former Hartwell mansion at the top of Wappo Hill, which offers a 360-degree view of Napa Valley, will become the winery's own vineyard from 2020. This rare wine is made from a clone of the Grace Family vines planted in the 1980s.
In 1986, Hartwell founder Bob Hartwell planted the Bosch clone, which he inherited from his close friend Dick Grace, at the top of his own vineyard at Wappo Hill in the Stags Leap District. The wines were released in 1990 and produced at the Grace family winery.
Wappo Hill has two peaks, one of which is the residence of Robert Mondavi (now the residence of Jean-Charles Boisset) and the Mondavi vineyards on the western slope, and the other peak is the residence of Hartwell and the Ream vineyards on the northern slope.
Benoit Touquet, the winemaker at Ream, had been making wine for Hartwell since 2004, before Ream, and was trusted by the owner, so Ream acquired the vineyards on the northern slope in 2015. Benoit had been making wine from the top plot as Hartwell until 2017, but in 2018 and 2019, Ream/Hartwell XX was released using purchased grapes.
In 2020, the acquisition of the mansion and summit plot owned by Hartwell was completed, entrusting the entire lot to Ream/Benoit. Since the Hartwell era, this summit plot has been in a class of its own, with crushed sandstone soil, a flat spot, and 360-degree sunlight. The characteristics of some of the Bosch clones have resulted in a very rich, concentrated, yet well-balanced, spherical wine, with a completely different character from the north-facing vineyards at the bottom of the slope. In honor of Hartwell, the name will remain and the summit plot will continue to be produced as a single vineyard under the name Hartwell XX.
In the future, the house will be demolished and the fields will need to be replanted, expanding the area to 5 blocks of 2ha, but the bush clones will be transplanted and will remain as 0.2ha blocks, along with the history of the area. Production volume: 200cs/year
label
The symbol of the winery is a giant oak tree. It is located in the center of the estate and watches over the winery and fields. The label features a butterfly painted by Hunt Slonem (an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker, best known for his Neo-Expressionist paintings of butterflies, rabbits, and tropical birds) fluttering around the tree, based on the motif of the oak tree that protects the winery. The theme of the label is Ream's future prosperity and coexistence with nature, and the color of the butterfly will change with each vintage. In 2021, the color will be blue.
Vintage: 2021
Capacity: 750ml
Type: Red wine
Taste: Full-bodied
Main variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Country of Origin: America
Region Name: California
AVA: Napa Valley
Nested AVAs: Stags Leap District
Vineyard: Wappo Hill Vineyard
Winemaker: Benoit Touquette
Cap: Cork
Alcohol content: 14.6%
JAN: None