Pott 2012 “Original Gangster” Stagecoach Vineyard Napa Valley Grenache

Winery Notes: “Growing up in a college town, in the Funk and Soul music hey day of the 1970s, I was one of those myriad lame white kids who dreamed I was Sly Stone or Bootsy Collins trapped in a nerdy adolescent body. By 1982 we were break-dancing, then in 1988 came NWA’s Straight outta Compton to escalate us through a decade of trash-talk posturing known as Gangster Rap. I had thoroughly lost interest until Ice-T, a nice suburban boy from New Jersey released his album O.G. Original Gangster. An Original Gangster is about authenticity and not having to brag about everything you do. He is born and schooled on the streets, master of his hood, true to his roots and “bad and bigger…”; My Original Gangster boldly embodies all this and comes straight outta’ Stagecoach, from the Pritchard Hill side of the vineyard and a stunning view of the entire Bay Area. My love of Grenache stems from many trips to Chateauneuf du Pape and working in the Southern Rhone Valley. From the first time that I tasted the legendary Chateau Rayas I was hooked and couldn’t get enough.”

Technical Notes: 

• Vineyard Name: Stagecoach Vineyard
• Owners: Dr. Jan Krupp
• Appellation: Between Pritchard Hill and Atlas Peak
• Soil Type: Hambright complex with small amount of Guenoc-Rock outcrop
• Varietals: Grenache, Alban clone
• Climate/Landscape: At the very mouth of Foss Valley, overlooking Napa Valley, with a southerly view of the San Francisco Bay. There is usually a steady breeze coming up from the valley, providing more marine influence than the rest of the vineyard – the fog usually arrives here first.

Reviews: 91 points – Vinous “The 2012 Grenache Original Gangster emerges from a parcel in Stagecoach, on Atlas Peak. An expressive, savory bouquet melds into varietal fruit as this silky, precise Grenache show off its polish and class. Grenache is not exactly widely planted in Napa Valley, so this is a real revelation.”