Up Howell Mountain-Viader and Cade, LEED Certification

Heading up Howell Mountain-- to Viader and Cade, LEED certified winery 

I can’t say enough…just look at the pictures. This gorgeous property is perched about halfway up Howell Mountain. It’s appointment only and the tasting room might have one of the more spectacular views of any I’ve ever been to. Interestingly, most of the others tasting room visitors were European—could have something to do  with Delia Viader, a native Argentine, having close ties in Spanish speaking countries. Granted, most of these wines are prized and allocated only to fine restaurants. It’s a must stop, taking you out of the Valley a bit for amazing views up Howell Mountain and the hospitality is gracious. The last few pics are of Janet Viader, taking us through the caves they excavated a few years ago, then pouring for us in the tasting room, which was just built in ’02

Viader is now family run, by Delia’s daughter Janet and son Alan (there are also 2 other kids in the family).  Delia has been a true pioneer in her planting style—since the inception of Viader in 1986, she has planted the property, which is 1200 feet above the Napa Valley floor, in a style best known in Bordeaux. The the vines run directly down the mountain. Get familiar with the line-up of wines, from the distinctive Bordeaux blend and Syrah labeled Viader, to the “V” line grounded in Petit Verdot, and the Dare line, including a fruity Cab Franc, Rose of Cab Sauv (saignee method), Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo (http://www.viader.com/wines.html)

Last filming trip to Napa, about 3 weeks ago, we had the great pleasure of seeing the soon -to -open Cade Winery, a LEED certified wineries , also up the road from Viader on Howell Mountain. While their construction isn’t quite complete, this property, one of the new creations from the Plumpjack group, is fascinating. It’s one of the first LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System) wineries in California. This certification is the nationally accepted benchmark for high performance “green” buildings, in terms of design, construction and operation. (See http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=222 for more detailed information). Winemaker Anthony Biagi is one experienced and talented winemaker and we’ll look forward to seeing those wines out in the market place soon. The video explanation of Cade will also be available soon.
We’ll learn more about LEED certified wineries when we visit Stoller Vineyards in Dayton, Oregon –in the beautiful Willamette Valley. Stay tuned....
 

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