El Molino is, by Napa standards, ancient, starting as a grist mill on land ceded to a Doctor Bale by the Vallejo family in 1841. The property soon became one of the most important communal meeting places in the upper valley and, in 1848, Bale made it the site of the first vineyard of any sort in Napa. Part of the property, across what is now Highway 29, would eventually be given as a dowry for a Bale daughter who was marrying a German immigrant named Charles Krug. The vineyard was gradually expanded from its original Mission grapes to include a plethora of different varieties sourced from who-knows-where (ever heard of ‘Rose of Peru’? It was planted there!) and a rudimentary winery was built in 1871 to make some wine while most of the fruit was sent down to the Napa Valley Wine Company in Oakville. From there, the fortunes of El Molino (named after the mill, of course) waxed and waned, gradually shrinking bit by bit until 1976 when Berkeley/Los Gatos native Reg Oliver purchased the estate. A Francophile since his time as a securities analyst in New York, Reg had the idea, thanks to the success of the famous Beaulieu ‘Burgundies’ of the 1940s he loved so much, that Pinot Noir could do well up-valley and, against everyone’s advice, planted both Chardonnay and Pinot in the new vineyard he created in the late 1980s. Reg, unfortunately, passed away in 2005, but he left the property to his daughter Lily, who remained committed to preserving the El Molino style of fresh, complex, age-worthy wines. The Pinot Noir comes from vines planted in the 1990s to upwards of 10 different clones and is mostly whole-cluster fermented, broken down by foot. It remains on its skins for almost a month before being aged 18 months in wood. It’s a stunner whose deep, medium-to-full black cherry flavors are augmented by hints of blood orange, sandalwood, forest floor and spice. Lily says it has a little Grands Échezeaux in its DNA, and I agree that there is the sexiness of the Côtes de Nuits there, but also plenty of the lovely fruit of its native Rutherford on fine display too. It’s a gorgeous wine from a gorgeous vintage and El Molino lovers will adore this 2021.
Lily has offered us a special price in order to pour these in our wine bar (joining the French Laundry in that distinction) and we feel it only fair to offer some to you at an insider's price that will compel you to try some!