Wine

Item Description

• Hagafen Cellars Estate Bottled Pinot Noir - One Case (Twelve Bottles) to be picked up at the winery. 
• Tasting and tour of the winery for Six.  Tasting inclueds all wines, current release, reserve and library wines!

by Diana Greenwood
For nearly thirty years Ernie and Irit Weir of Hagafen Cellars have quietly maintained their respected position in the Napa Valley wine industry by producing gold-medal wines. Small and family-run, Hagafen is an unpretentious, welcoming place where the wine speaks for itself.

There’s purity here, a natural good old-fashioned honesty and a healthy respect for the wonder of nature. You feel it as you turn down the peaceful lane framed by silver olive trees. You see it in the organic garden and in season, you’ll share the bounty of the harvest with lemons, limes, grapefruit, olives, walnuts, and vegetables grown on the property.

In the tasting room, you’ll sense old-Napa style hospitality. There are no questions left unanswered here. This is a place to linger and learn and enjoy the fruit of the vine as the delicious beverage it was always intended to be. There’s a fierce loyalty with locals who know that Hagafen is one of the few places to pour the unexpected, off the list, small lot wines and limited releases usually reserved for an elite few.

When you examine the framed honors, reviews, awards, and menus adorning the tasting room walls, you’ll see Hagafen wine has appeared on impressive tables, including the white-linen draped tables of the White House. Since the Reagan administration in 1982, and continuing today, Hagafen wines have filled the crystal glasses of dignitaries visiting from Israel.
Hagafen means "the vine" in Hebrew and when Ernie Weir talks about making wine it’s clear he believes the vine is where it all begins. Weir, who earned his bachelors in viticulture at the University of California at Davis, is vintner, viticulturist-winemaker, and grower for Hagafen.

"Fine wine starts in the vineyard with careful vineyard management," he said. "I strive to take maximum advantage of the valley’s natural geology and climate to produce the best premium wine grape varietals, interfering as little as possible with the soil, and minimizing the chemical and erosion impact by using modern farming techniques."

Weir interferes little during winemaking, also, allowing fruit flavors to come forward naturally, highlighting appellation-driven characteristics. The winery produces 8,000 cases annually, all small lot releases, some of which are limited to 100 cases, and many are exclusive to the tasting room or wine club. Hagafen’s is one of very few clubs to allow members first shot at new releases. This is the one to join.

Hagafen produces a marvelous Cabernet Sauvignon from estate vines. The Napa Valley Cabernet has won a Gold Medal in all vintages since 1995 and was recently named "Top 3 in the Nation" by the Wall Street Journal. This wine displays the distinct characteristics of the family vineyard with deep color and aromas of dense raspberries, wild blackberries, chocolate, and a warm, toasty essence that moves to the palate with compact structure, softening on the finish. The addition of 10% Cabernet Franc enhances the finish and creates a robust, fruity mid-palate.
Known worldwide since the early 1970’s for Cabernet and exceptional Rieslings, Hagafen also makes Chardonnay from the Oak Knoll District, one of Napa Valley’s newest and most exciting districts, a wonderful, true Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and estate bottled Merlot and Syrah. The surprise is that Hagafen also makes three sparklers, Napa Valley Brut CuvEe that will surprise you with its burst of fresh, complex flavors. "We make what we like to make" is the Hagafen motto.

Located at 4160 Silverado Trail, Hagafen Cellars is easy to find and a quick drive north from Napa. The Mediterranean-style tasting room is small and intimate and Lola, the resident cat, will greet you with a proper Hagafen welcome. While Lola purrs at your feet, taste four current release white wines or four reds for a $5 fee each, or taste four library wines for $10.00. The fee is kicked back when you purchase. Spend a leisurely afternoon on the patio or bring some friends and take a tour. Open for tasting daily from 11-4; tours are by appointment only, conducted at 11 a.m. For more information, call (707) 252-0791 or visit www.hagafen.com.  

HAGAFEN CELLARS

HaGafen Cellars is located in the Napa Valley, in the heart of California's premier wine grape region. Less than a mile south of the famed Stags leap District and twenty yards from the Oak Knoll District--Napa's newest and most exciting of American Viticultural Areas--our well-drained soil is ideal for the growth and production of ripe and rich, intensely fruity small lot estate bottled wines. Owned and operated by Irit and Ernie Weir, the winery was founded in 1979, and the first commercially released vintage was harvested in 1980. In the ensuing years, we have grown from a small partnership producing wine with grapes from Winery Lake Vineyard, then owned by Rene DiRosa, to a well-established wine company whose wines are distributed throughout North America and overseas. Since 1980 our wines have been served on numerous occasions at the White House to visiting foreign dignitaries. The cornerstone of our lives are the Silverado Trail winery and tasting room and our two estate vineyards in the eastern benchland of the Napa Valley.

Ernie's daily involvement in the two sides of wine production, grape growing and winemaking, ensures the superb quality of our wines. "Fine wine starts in the vineyard with careful vineyard management," says Weir. "I strive to take maximum advantage of the Napa Valley's natural geology and climate to produce the best wine varietals. I interfere as little as possible with the soil, creating a balance that minimizes the chemical and erosion impact by using modern farming techniques while maintaining the age-old wisdom of balance and the traditional values of conservation and land stewardship. Once harvest is completed, I undertake the second part of my job, winemaking. This presents an interesting challenge every time since each year the growing season and harvest are unique and different. I never seek to change what Nature has provided. My goal is to showcase the best that our land has produced."

We look forward to meeting you here in Napa at our winery and tasting room on the Silverado Trail.

Family, Tradition, Excellence: Think Hagafen!

Item Special Note

• Please Note:  Must be 21 years of age or older to bid or win the auction for this wine.
• Good for one year from date of issue.  11-5-08 to 11-5-09.
• Case of wine can be shipped at bearer's expense.