TREFETHEN'S BEST KEPT SECRET
Eshcol, a bottle of history from the Trefethen Family
Trefethen 2020 Eshcol Red Blend, Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley $22.99
Eschol is a beautiful, and quite impressive red wine from the Trefethen Family portfolio that really shines a light on how and why they have thrived in Napa Valley as long as they have. Trefethen, one of Napa Valley's pioneering wineries, produces the Eschol label, an estate grown, sustainably farmed bottle of Napa Valley wine. Sourced from Trefethen's Main Ranch Vineyard, the blend changes every vintage, but always features a good amount of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, supported by Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc.
The wine opens with aromas of blackberry and dried cherries; the palate follows suit with bright red fruit, easy tannins, and balanced acidity. Given its great performance and its Napa Valley pedigree, it is truly one of the great bargains in our store.
The name: Eshcol (esh.kol)
In 1886 the Goodman brothers were commissioned to build the winery in a grove of oak trees at the center of the Eshcol Ranch, which was directly across the street from the Oak Knoll train station. Designed and built by the same man who also built historic wineries such as Inglenook, Far Niente, Greystone, Beaulieu, Chateau Montelena, Frog’s Leap and many others. He designed a gravity flow winery where grapes were crushed on the third floor, fermented on the 2nd, and aged on the 1st. This system utilizes the genial flow of gravity to move from one stage to the next.
Unfortunately, the winery was left empty and in disrepair until 1968 when the John and Janet Trefethen took over. They restored the building and reinforced the 2nd floor so it could hold large fermentation tanks that they needed for production not only from them but also their top client for winemaking: Moët & Chandon. Later, the building would have to be restored one more time after the 2014 Southern Napa earthquake caused immense damage, holding true to the original structure, but significantly updated.
The Eschol label is in a symbol of the Trefethen values: family, respect, authenticity, sustainability, joy, and learning. Here is an image of the label that further explains in detail what each feature means and they value they lend to the winery.
Sustainability:
The Trefethen family's goal is to survive at least another 3 generations as winemakers in Napa Valley, and in order to do that while still farming the best quality grapes while sustaining a business and the land, they want to be sure they enrich the lives of those who not only work at the winery and those who enjoy the wines of Trefethen.
This winery is an ecosystem in itself and everything starts in the vineyard. Keeping it healthy begins by minimizing what they take from it. Using cover crops, specific plants that are placed between the vine rows, the vineyard increases biodiversity which improves soil health.