QRW | Spring 2011 | A Dream Come True

A Dream Come True

Napa's Black Stallion Estate has a new owner and a new direction.

Richard L. Elia

Consumers may not know much about Black Stallion Estate, an Oak Knoll winery on the Silverado Trail, which has only been in business for the last six years, but if you're a movie fan you'll have seen the property without being aware of it. It's where Francis Ford Coppola filmed his epic, Apocalypse Now. With Wagner's heroic "Ride of the Valkyries" in the background, the dramatic multi helicopter scene has become a classic. Black Stallion Estate, however, had its own kind of epic: it was the legendary home of the Silverado Horsemen's Center, a large and well known equestrian arena and facility built in the 1950s. The Estate is reflective of a world that Napa once was: rustic, rugged broncos — True Grit stuff. The Estate is picturesque: upon entering the driveway stand two enormous wooden doors side by side, enveloped by a handsome fieldstone front surrounded by old olive trees and a fountain that recall a simpler life. Its down-home architecture serves as a striking contrast to its imperially designed neighbors, Darioush and Clos Du Val.

Terry and Michael Maglich, who are involved in the wine wholesale business, acquired Black Stallion Estate Winery in 2005. The brothers sourced grapes and created classy, small batch lots, chiefly of Cabernet and Chardonnay. In 2010, they sold the property to the Indelicato family, an old and revered wine clan, who have been a part of California wine history for nearly a century. The Indelicatos were looking for a Napa property; Chris Indelicato, CEO and President, said the purchase of Black Stallion Winery fulfilled "a family dream." The new owners are going beyond the Maglichs' vision for serious small lot wines and are producing ultra premium wines. The winemaker is still Elaine St. Clair, who knows the property and shares the Indelicato vision. The winery's 32 acres have been extensively renovated. The winery is now more state-of-the-art than ever, with a visitors educational center, a wine tasting bar area, a private lounge for Club Members, guest houses, up-to-date technical facilities, with new sorting tables, and new vibrating ones to shake off less than perfect berries.

Winemaker St. Clair hails from two unlikely wine places: Cambridge, England and Yonkers. Her father was an engineer for Shell who moved to New York. Here St. Clair learned about wine. In the two-family house that her family was sharing, Mr. Volpe, an elderly Italian, made wine — a hobby still actively pursued by not a few east coast Italians, samples of which continue to arrive at QRW's doors requesting evaluation. St. Clair loved the fermenting aromas that wafted above and liked the look and smell of the wine barrels. It was a seminal experience that started her on the road to wine education generally and to fermentation science specifically. She earned her degree from U.C. Davis in 1986, subsequently working at De Loach where she was inspired and mentored by Randy Ullom (now of Kendall-Jackson fame and recently our Winemaker of the Year), and later with Eileen Crane as co-winemaker at Domaine Carneros.

Black Stallion Winery continues to focus on Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. With each wine, ripeness and flavor are operative words. Gale Sysock, Vice President of Vineyard Resources, says the "winery farms for flavor" and to that end "we work closely with our local growers who know the terroir." St. Clair elaborates on this: "Perfect grapes are about relationships ... connect with the right growers who understand the potential of their grapevines, who have the right locations, and you'll have the right fruit."

The Black Stallion wines don't disappoint. What St. Clair wants for both varietals is already in the bottle: not just ripe fruit, but ripe fruit flavors that extend from front to finish, not just fruit forward. Just as important is oak: you experience it but don't notice it. It's an invisible touch that imprints elegance and style. For example, the Chardonnay is not sapped with buttery notes or soaked in oak with excess fermentation. There are no flaws to mask, there's minimum intervention, allowing excellent Chardonnay grapes to be themselves. The Cabernet Sauvignon is firmly structured, with soft tannins, rich fruit, showing considerable style. Like any fine wine, it is complex; and, like any fine wine, it is ultimately simple and passionate amidst that complexity. These are the essence of what any fine wine aspires to be.

Black Stallion wines

The Wines

2009 Black Stallion Estate Winery Chardonnay, Napa Valley, $19. The wine has all the attributes of quality wine, and it is distinguished by being nicely knitted. Napa Chardonnay is known for its bright acidity and complex aromas, and this wine is perfectly characteristic of the region. The wine is all of a piece with no one component sticking out. Delicious flavors of tropical fruit, with hints of baked apple, citrus, and vanilla. It is the finish that ultimately speaks for the wine: it's long, it's complex, it's engaging.

2008 Black Stallion Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, $25. The wine is Bordeaux in blend, with some Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Verdot. Deeply colored. Rich black fruit with a waft of spice and easy oak in the aromas. Mingling with these are layers of chocolate, mocha notes with soft tones of oak and spice that open nicely after several minutes. The wine has length — lots of it. Delicious wine from start to finish.

The wines are available at the winery. For further information: Holly.Evans@dfvwines.com

Meet Elaine St. Clair

Black Stallion winemaker Elaine St. Clair has been with the winery since its inception, but she's more excited about the winery now than ever. New ownership under the Indelicato family has everything to do with it. "It's lovely working for them. The transition was effortless. They have great resources, but even greater respect for the kind of wines we produce at Black Stallion, wines that, while not completely organic, have the same sustainable approach. We partner with growers who respect this kind of farming. I am right where I want to be as a winemaker with them." The new owners have made the winery state-of-the-art: new sorting tables, new fermentation tanks, and furthering the new barrel program. "Whatever it takes," says St. Clair in reference to the Indelicatos support. At Black Stallion, St. Clair specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. "I want wines that have structure and balance, of course, but wines that, above all, showcase the fruit — and not just upfront fruit with nothing to follow. Fruit that's integrated throughout, with a wine that is well knit." Fermentation and blending are passions with St. Clair. The first speaks to her degree from Davis, and the second to her love of blending wines, which she did initially with sparkling wines while working with Eileen Crane at Domaine Carneros. "Blending at Black Stallion is a joy; we source great grapes from first-rate growers. I can tinker with the wines, searching for the right blend, and revisiting the wines." When St. Clair isn't making wine, her passion turns to wildlife birds that are migrating world-wide and who visit the 400 acres in Carneros. "And," she adds, "there is another fermentation in my life — cheese making. At my Napa home, I keep several goats."

More Spring 2011 feature articles:

Best of The Best: California Chardonnay / QRW Tasting Panel

Money In The Bank at St. Supéry / Gerald D. Boyd

J. Lohr’s Small Lots: Petite is Neat / Richard Paul Hinkle

Wines of the Quarter / QRW Staff

Mixing It Up at Ghost Pines / QRW Staff

175 Years: Gonzalez Byass Story / Eleanor and Ray Heald

Wining and Dining: More Best Bites / Edward and Mireille Guiliano

Piccini Wines: Tuscan Treats / Richard L. Elia

All Things Grape and Small / Randy Sheahan

QRW Crossword: A Scary Celebrity-Themed Restaurant / Patrick Berry