Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/759555
54 / the tasting panel / december 2016 COVER STORY THE HISTORICAL FOOTPRINT Innovative branding connects an expansive range of modern- day wines to the winery's historic past. A newly-planted heritage vineyard greets visitors as they stroll to the tasting room. Not content with rebuilding the winery, Boisset has begun building bridges using Buena Vista's original footprint as a template for expanding the winery's portfolio. According to Charles L. Sullivan, author of Sonoma Wine and the Story of Buena Vista, the 560-acre estate that Haraszthy purchased from Julian Rose in 1857 was part of Rancho Huichica, the original Mexican land grant sited east of the town of Sonoma. By 1858, Haraszthy bought an additional 4,000 acres of land that ran over the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains through Lovall Valley and into Napa County. This expansion and the planting of tens of thousands of vines in Napa County made Buena Vista one of the largest agricultural estates in California. Today, Buena Vista's original Napa County footprint lies within the Los Carneros AVA. By creating a range of wine styles that are intentionally crafted with a variety of tastes in mind, Buena Vista Winemaker Brian Maloney, who collaborates with consulting winemaker David Ramey, has built out the upper end of the Buena Vista portfolio to reflect the quality of the vineyards at his disposal. In 2013, Maloney sourced and created a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon as an homage to Haraszthy's passion for viticulture and the estate that stretched across both counties. The 2013 Château Buena Vista Napa Valley "Revenge" red wine is aromatic with pronounced notes of red and black currant, tobacco, vanilla and a full complement of baking spices. The label depicts Haraszthy's historic winery building, the first grand château to be built in Sonoma Valley. The Buena Vista 2013 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was released in June of 2016 with national distribution and a retail price of $50. Maloney has also crafted a 2014 Private Reserve Chardonnay ($50) that shows the purity, elegance and finesse of a Premier Cru in Burgundy. For this wine he selected the Thornton Vineyard on Sonoma Mountain, which runs across the ledge above the Durell Vineyard.