Stu and Charlie Smith have seen big changes in their 50 years at Smith-Madrone Vineyards in the Spring Mountain District of Napa Valley. In part two of our conversation with Stu to celebrate the winery’s golden anniversary, while tasting the wines the topics ranged from current and past droughts, to dry farming, the world-wide championship award for their first vintage of Riesling that put them on the map, and how long it really takes to reach maximum production of a wine for sales from date of planting.
Did we mention that Stu has a lot to say about what he’s learned after fifty years on the mountain? We thoroughly enjoyed every word, particularly because Stu is an estimable raconteur!
First and foremost, Stu drilled into us that, “Wine is made in the vineyards!” He and his brother, Charlie, planted the first 21 acres at Smith-Madrone in 1972. Stu hand-watered it all, dragging garden hoses to fill individual basins around each vine. (Remember, drip irrigation didn’t yet exist!)
Back in 1971, Stu paid $350 per acre. Nowadays, that cost has risen exponentially, surpassing several hundred thousand dollars per acre in parts of Napa Valley. That doesn’t begin to address the costs f planting, farming and developing production facilities. As Stu describes on the show, each of those components got cobbled together one at a time over several years. In fact, in their first year he couldn’t even afford to buy stakes for the vines!
 The current drought brings back memories of past ones. According to Stu Smith, our current drought is as bad as the worst ones in the late 19th century when St. Helena’s low rainfall was a mere 11” to 12” of the normal 33” annual rainfall. And in 2021? Stu says St. Helena received only a few drops over 11” this past winter. Cause for significant concern, particularly with the high fire danger.
 But what of the wines???
 The Smith-Madrone Estate Riesling, as we mentioned in part 1 of the show, won Best Riesling in the Wine Olympics for its 1977 vintage, an international tasting organized by the food and wine magazine Gault Millau in Paris.
 The Smith-Madrone Estate Chardonnay is a stunner! We were shocked to learn the Smith’s barrel aging for this wine included 85% new French oak. We would never have guessed the wine had seen that much new oak given how well integrated all the flavors were. Here is another reason to listen to Stu’s stories, as he explains how their barrel program has evolved, including experiments with American oak and French oak from various regions – with highly divergent tasting results.
 The Smith-Madrone Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is another pleasant surprise… No big, over-jammy, only-pairs-with-T-bone fruit and tannins bomb. This is an elegant cab, suitable to pair with a much wider range of foods than we would ordinarily associate with a cabernet. Classic blackberry, tobacco and leather notes deliver beautifully without the tannins and acid overwhelming. All elements are restrained and balanced together. Read a great review of their 2015 Cabernet here by Jamie Goode.
But why Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, we asked of Stu? In fact, the Cabernet now integrates a small amount of estate Cabernet F...