Elaine, Carole, and Steve discuss farming mountain fruit in the Napa Valley and explore some of the lesser known varieties that thrive there. We also hear from Anthony Truchard, who speaks about farming in the southerly Carneros region of Napa and how the cooler climate allows for the production of high-quality wines made from grapes like Chardonnay and Roussanne.
Featured wines:
2016 Lagier Meredith Syrah, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley
2016 Lagier Meredith Tribidrag, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley
2018 Truchard Estate Roussanne, Carneros, Napa Valley
Carole Meredith and Steve Lagier have lived on the vineyard since they purchased the property in 1986, first planting vines in 1994 and producing their first commercial wine in 1998. Carole and Steve have no employees and do the vineyard work and winemaking themselves. After earning a degree in biochemistry, Steve turned to winemaking as a way to combine his love of wine with his interest in science. He completed a graduate degree in enology at UC Davis and then worked for Robert Mondavi Winery for 14 years before focusing all his time on Lagier Meredith Vineyard.
Carole was born in Wales and emigrated to California with her parents as a child. For 22 years, she was a professor at the University of California at Davis, where her research group was among the first to use DNA to explore the origins of grape varieties and the genetic relationships among them. Their discoveries included identifying genetic origins of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Syrah, and linking Zinfandel to its European home in Croatia.
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