Simply once you assume there’s nothing new underneath the solar, depart it to an revolutionary Napa winemaker to create a novel providing that focuses on the vessel that homes his wines as a lot because the wines themselves. Lawrence Fairchild, a Nebraska farm boy, studied soil science and purchased his first small winery in 1999, which occurred to be simply above Harlan’s legendary Bond Melbury parcel. I spoke with Fairchild concerning the idea, which is solely known as “Stones,” and he stated his objective, before everything, was all the time “to supply the single-highest high quality potential.” He has enlisted a number of the finest helpers within the enterprise alongside the way in which, together with his present winemaker, Philippe Melka, whose background in geology resonated with Fairchild.
One of many throughlines of the Stones undertaking is, because the identify implies, minerality. Vineyards are chosen for his or her means to supply Cabernet Sauvignons that supply Bordeaux-like steadiness with a attribute chalkiness that may be a hallmark of the area. The opposite working theme is the vessel that homes these stunning wines, every involving 18 months of design to type the hand-illustrated label earlier than it’s hand-pressed in paper-thin zinc in France and utilized to every bottle, once more, by hand.
The meticulous care that goes into every bottle is mirrored within the glass. I tasted the 2016 Stones 3, which comes from the Oakville Tench Winery. On the nostril, it gives notes of black currant, violet, cocoa nib, and a compelling trace of truffle-like umami, and even perhaps espresso, beneath — with a lithe minerality, in fact. At $375 a bottle, the wine and its presentation are supposed to be a singular expertise, very small-production and as extremely allotted as you may anticipate.
Fairchild has a transparent affinity for Clone 4, which is thought for its giant, lush fruit and tight clusters, in addition to its means to ship age-worthy opulence, and that elusive paradox of energy and finesse.
In 2019, Fairchild upped the ante even additional with “Perrarus,” which is Latin for “very uncommon, distinctive, an unrepeatable second in time.” These bottles are “editions of 1,” says Fairchild, large-format vessels of hand-blown glass, restricted to at least one per member by way of lottery for $11,500.
Fairchild made the choice early on to “base manufacturing volumes on high quality, not amount,” and he has ample vineyards for crafting wines on the highest high quality utilizing solely about 20 p.c of the grapes produced. In different phrases, he may be extremely selective, and he’s.
Singular hand-blown glass bottles home the Perrarus assortment of wines.
Stones Wine
These wines can be found solely to personal members, and an added worth of membership is entry to the Stones Library Program, underneath which any Stones wine may be re-ordered inside 5 years of launch, having been aged underneath cautious supervision and management.
A “Black VIP Membership is by invitation solely, restricted to 500 purchasers, and contains invites to Stones “”Night time of Perrarus Michelin Star dinners, together with these at Le Bernardin and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York and Blackberry Farm in Tennessee.
Though these wines have a rarified air each out and in of their suave bottles, Fairchild likes to attach with every collector personally, which makes the entire affair all of the extra interesting. He’s equal elements accessible and encyclopedic, and a dialog with him about his ardour undertaking(s) will increase the way in which you consider Napa wines.
