Current Release:
2003 Farella Alta - $75 per bottle
Alta is a blend of the best barrels in our cellar, 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 5% Syrah. With an emphasis on layers of complexity and balance, it is a superb compliment to the meal. The aromatics are complex array of strawberry, blueberry, chocolate and hints of cedar and olive. The flavors form a smooth arc of berry fruit, chocolate, toasty oak and light spice and a rich, lasting finish.
Farella-Park Varietal Wines: 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon - $42 per bottle Our 2004 varietal Cabernet has been out for a few months and is raising eyebrows wherever it goes. For a Napa Valley Cabernet, there are few wines that can compete at this price point and quality. Flavor and aromas of blackberry, black cherry, black olive and dark chocolate (black chocolate?). Yummy in any color.
2005 Merlot - $24 per bottle We have enjoyed a resurgence in love for Merlot and our 2004 is firing on all cylinders. Plush aromas and flavors in a balanced, food-friendly profile. The 2004 received a double-gold medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition this year. Rich and luscious blueberry/strawberry fruit and spicy, mouthwatering structure.
2005 "Road Block" Syrah - $30 per bottle. Our Syrah is more aligned stylistically with Côte Rotie than most California Syrah. We try to keep it balanced and not overblown so it truly goes with food. Deep plum/blueberry fruit, hints of smoke and a dollop of French oak spice it is silky smooth throughout on the palate. Only 125 cases produced. $30 per bottle. P 2007 "La Luce" Sauvignon blanc - There is slightly added richness to our signature white wine with the 2007 vintage. It is lovely and delicious with bright honeydew, honeysuckle and citrus. World's best aperitif: crisp, clean and lively as always.
Farella Vineyard
2222 Third Avenue
Napa, CA 94588
707-254-9489
www.farella.com
About Tom Farella:
This year marks the 27th vintage for him as a vintner, something his father, Frank Farella, encouraged him to do as a boy while blazing a trail along the way. When he was 12 years old, our family visited the Burgundy region in France which illuminated winemaking as a beautiful mixture of science, farming, craft, creativity and old-fashioned hard, physical work. It doesn't hurt that most fine wine regions of the world are also in beautiful places.
His father's long-sought goal to grow wine grapes from a modest, depression-era background was a story that unfolded slowly and steadily for them. In the mid 70's, it was actually affordable to buy land here but the process of establishing a 26 acre vineyard was far less clear-cut. Most people in the wine business learned together, piece by piece, in a time when the Napa Valley had a lot of potential but not much credibility. Now, in the new millennium, they find themselves literally leading the way in a vast, complex industry that seems to always start from lofty dreams and hard work much like his father's story.
