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104 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2017 The indoor riding ring serves as Black Stallion's main production room today. On a tour of the winery, Head Winemaker Ralf Holdenried showed me one of the few physical souvenirs of the Center : brick silhouetted stall doors where the horses used to enter. Delicato Family Vineyards purchased the Oak Knoll District Black Stallion estate from the original winery developers in 2010. Delicato, founded by Sicilian-born Gaspare Indelicato in 1924, owns approximately 10,000 acres in Monterey and the Central Valley. Although Black Stallion was the company's first Napa Valley acquisition, Gaspare and his heirs established deep-rooted relationships with Napa vintners and growers decades ago. Those grower connections proved invaluable. Black Stallion's wines, many sourced from Napa Valley's best vineyards beyond the estate's confines, have already garnered more than 60 reviews with 90-plus scores. "We work with a lot of well-known grow - ers, and it's a very collaborative relationship," Ralf explains. "We visit their vineyards often, and we just spent several weeks in grower tastings where they experienced the wines we made from their grapes." Only the barest accent hints at Ralf 's German upbringing. His family were winegrowers too, and that personal history helps him work with the diverse characters among the Napa Valley grower community. "There are a lot of strong opinions," he says with a grin, "but those grower tastings are really, really fun." While Black Stallion has approximately 20 acres under vine, grower vineyards provide much of the fruit for a variety of limited-release wines and for the well-priced Heritage line that is available nationally. Of note are the Heritage Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Black Stallion Estate Winery's fieldstone walls frame Winemaker Ralf Holdenried. At an SRP of $175, Transcendent is Black Stallion's Cabernet thoroughbred. "We make a lot of amaz- ing wines,but I want to make sure this winery is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon."