Ashes & Diamonds Mountain Cuvée №3 Saffron Vineyard 2018

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Ashes & Diamonds

In 2013 Jon Bonné published his ground-breaking and, at the time, controversial work, The New California Wine. Bonné’s book brought to light a story previously untold in Californian wine folklore, news of a groundswell of young, dynamic producers swimming against the tide of bombastic and homogeneous wine that prevailed at the time. The subtitle read: a guide to the producers and wines behind a revolution in taste. This was the book Kashy Khaledi, then an executive at Capitol Records, had been waiting for. Restless in his work and “exhausted by exhausting wines”, Bonné’s book and the wines described in its pages, served as his catalyst to take the leap into the wine world, something he had been considering for years.

When Khaledi established Ashes & Diamonds in 2014, he took inspiration from his favourite wines made by the great producers of 1950s, 60s and 70s California, including Mayacamas, Mondavi and Inglenook. The blueprint was a return to honest and classical Napa wines of the past, restrained yet compelling wines that spoke clearly of their origins.

Khaledi’s first coup was to hire the services of two of New California’s brightest talents: viticulturalist Steve Matthiasson (Stags Leap, Spottswoode) and oenologist Diana Snowden Seysses (Robert Mondavi, Domaine Dujac) while securing lease holdings within some prestigious Napa postcodes. Matthiasson and Snowden Seysses share the winemaking and viticultural responsibilities, working closely with small, family-owned vineyards stretching from Santa Cruz to Yountville to make both single-vineyard and multiple-site wines. Both are staunch advocates for sustainable viticulture, partnering with growers to create a harmonious relationship for the humans and the dirt involved—all sites are farmed organically and are dry-grown wherever possible. Added to Matthiasson’s high standing within the Napa viticultural community, there is not usually a lot of arm-twisting required to get growers on board: a rising tide lifts all boats.

In 2017, Ashes & Diamonds found its home in the Oak Knoll District with an impressive vineyard of its own; the custom-built winery was erected the same year. The collaborative approach between Steve and Diana continues—in tune with their unique winemaking ideas, Matthiasson makes multiple-site wines, while Seysses works with single vineyards. The multiple-site wines have a brightness and a freshness that will immediately appeal. On the other hand, Snowden Seysses’ single-site expressions are more deeply cast, and for this reason, the winery holds these wines back for a period in bottle before release. Generally, new oak use is around 30%, there are no extended macerations, fermentations are always natural and there are no acidifications or other additions. Sulphur is used sparingly.

The wines are expressions of their sites through the prism of their talented makers. The flagship Cabernet Franc is an ode to the great wines of the Loire Valley, treated as gently as a Pinot Noir and sitting at an alcohol level reflecting that approach. The red Bordeaux blends embody Khaledi’s aim to emulate the Napa wines of old; they’re refined, complex and terroir-driven. Across the entire portfolio, you will encounter restraint, old-world structure, moderate alcohols, gentle oak influence and a deep expression of site. If this is the ‘New Napa’, then count us in.

In the Vineyard

The Saffron Vineyard on Mount Veeder is an excellent example of the perfect site managed by the right person. It’s a beautiful vineyard, nestled in the redwoods and high above the fog inversion line at an altitude of 457 metres. Daytime temperatures here can often be 10 degrees lower than on the valley floor. With a push from Kashy Khaledi, the vineyard is organically farmed by the passionate and committed owner, Lisa Chu (Khaledi convinced Lisa to up her prices for all her customers—including him—so that organic farming could be implemented, a move that quickly saw a dramatic improvement in soil health and the quality of fruit). Deep-rooted Bordeaux varietals were planted here in 2000, in thin soils comprised of uplifted marine sediment and fractured shale.

Part of the Mayacamas coastal range separating the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Mount Veeder is said to grow the most characterful wines of the Napa “like a wild fish in a school of tank-raised trout”, as Matt Kramer once put it.

In the Winery

The wines are expressions of their sites through the prism of their talented makers. The flagship Cabernet Franc is an ode to the great wines of the Loire Valley, treated as gently as a Pinot Noir and sitting at an alcohol level reflecting that approach. The red Bordeaux blends embody Khaledi’s aim to emulate the Napa wines of old; they’re refined, complex and terroir-driven. Across the entire portfolio, you will encounter restraint, old-world structure, moderate alcohols, gentle oak influence and a deep expression of site.

Generally, new oak use is around 30% for the reds, there are no extended macerations, fermentations are always natural and there are no acidifications or other additions. Sulphur is used sparingly.

On the Blanc:

In the cellar, Matthiasson naturally co-ferments the parcels in barrel. The wine spends 10 months on fine lees in French oak (25% new) with no bâtonnage before it goes to bottle. 50% Semillon 50% Sauvignon Blanc.

On the Cabernet Franc:

Taking its cues from the top bottlings of Saumur-Champigny, Steve Matthiasson gives us a snapshot of Cabernet Franc’s aromatic finesse derived from his vineyard’s volcanic clay and sandy loam soils at the southern end of Napa Valley. The fruit was fermented in stainless steel and rested in barrel for two winters before bottling, then was held for a further two years before release.

On the Saffron:

Diana Snowden-Seysses’s choice of blend, her Burgundian eye and the Saffron Vineyard crop of small but beautifully balanced berries, infuses the natural power of the mountain with unusual silken grace. The 2018 is a blend of Merlot (59%), Cabernet Sauvignon (23%) and Cabernet Franc (18%). Once at the winery, the grapes were given a cold soak until native fermentation began. The wine matured for 19 months in French oak (30% new).

Where in the World is Ashes & Diamonds?

Ashes & Diamonds is located in the Oak Knoll District sourcing from fruit around the Napa. This wine comes from tthe high altitude Mount Veeder, Napa Valley, Calafornia