Bill & Roxanne Wolf, owners of Napa Valley’s AlphaWOLF Vineyard and makers of Eagle Eye brand wines, strive to create fruit forward, approachable blends that are affordable and age worthy, with the help of winemaker John Gibson. The Eagle Eye brand was created from their passion for wine, food, and the arts which is apparent from the 90+ days it takes to make a single blend and the hand painted labels that cover each bottle. We recently had the chance to sit down with Bill and Roxanne and put the spotlight on Eagle Eye Winery.
WM: How did you get into winemaking?
Roxanne Wolf (RW): Our passion for wine and food, along with Bill’s background as a chef and organic grower, lead us to our dream of growing grapes and olives for wine and olive oil. We searched five wine grape growing counties in California for over eight months, looking for just the right piece of property to plant our grapes and olives.
WM: What makes your winery and region unique?
RW: On September 20, 1999, we moved onto our 13 acre ranch which is located in a tiny valley on the far eastern portion of Napa County called Gordon Valley. We are surrounded by hills which creates a unique micro-climate. During the growing season, we average 80 to 90 degrees during the day and 50 to 60 degrees in the evening. These climatic conditions allow us to hang our fruit longer on the plants for ripening and total flavor development. Our climate is ideal for grape varietals like Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec which represents less than 5% of the total grapes planted in the Napa Valley. Our Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot is some of the best in Napa Valley. Starting with the 2008 vintage, we will be bottling our Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot each as a single varietal.
WM: What do you like most about your job?
RW: The most difficult, challenging and rewarding thing is working with “Mother Nature.” She is very unpredictable and full of surprises, which makes our job unique and interesting.
WM: How has the wine industry evolved in the past decade?
Bill Wolf (BW): With the influx of very good wines at lower prices from all over the world, we have seen wine move from a specialty product to a commodity. This means that we need to continue to not only produce some of the best wines in the world, but at more affordable prices.
WM: What benefit does the WineMasters program offer to your winery?
BW: The WineMasters program offers our winery direct contact with retail stores and restaurant owners. The program offers us the opportunity to be in geographic areas, retail stores and restaurants to which we would not otherwise have access.
WM: What words of advice would you give the novice wine drinker?
RW: For the novice wine drinker, we recommend developing a relationship with your local retailer and his or her staff. Once they understand your taste, they will expose you to wines you would not ordinarily try on your own. Also, remember when tasting wines, always use the first sip of a wine like mouth wash to equalize your palate. On the next sip, hold the wine in your mouth for 15 seconds and slowly swallow. Now focus on the flavors left in your mouth. Wine changes in taste with the introduction of food. We recommend a mild cheese and non-flavored crackers while doing a wine tasting. Another suggestion would be to always try all grape varietals and do not lock yourself into only Merlots or Cabernets, only whites, or only reds. If you think you do not like Merlot, it is not the fault of the grape. Rather, it is probably the winery’s style you do not like, not the varietal as a whole. We all have our own style of wine that we make. If you try many different Merlots at different price points, you will likely discover some that you enjoy.
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