Read the article in the Napa Valley Register.

The Napa Valley Wine Exchange: Coombsville — exploring Cabernet Franc and beyond

By Allen Balik

A few weeks ago, I attended two events showcasing the Coombsville American Viticultural Area located in the Napa Valley’s southeastern hills just east of downtown Napa. Both were organized by the Coombsville Vintners and Growers under the oversight of its visionary president and grower Jim Urda of Immaculate Vineyard.

Originally planted in the 19th century, Coombsville has blossomed over the last few decades. For years it was a growers' paradise, supplying Upvalley wineries with grapes of stellar character lending a backbone of structure and elegance to their wines.

However, since the AVA was commissioned in 2011, there has also been an accelerated growth of small, family-owned wineries. The area’s diverse portfolio is gaining worldwide recognition for wines displaying finely tuned structure, balance and finesse with an underlying sense of minerality typical of the area.

Nathan Coombs came to Napa Valley in 1845 and purchased a part of Rancho Tulocay on the east side of the Napa River that later became known as Coombsville in his honor. In 1847, Coombs purchased Rancho Entre Napa on the west side of the river and then founded the town of Napa. He was largely responsible for laying out the city’s original site, where much of Coombs’ earliest plan and street layout remain today.

In the early 2000s, the vintners and growers of the area decided to submit their application for AVA status to the government offices. Years of disagreement ensued regarding the chosen name. Eventually, Tulocay was agreed upon and submitted, but ultimately rejected as it did not meet the AVA stipulation of regionality. In 2008, Tom Farella of Farella Vineyard (also a pioneering Coombsville grower and vintner) undertook rewriting and submitting the petition as Coombsville. It was approved in December 2011 as Napa Valley’s 16th nested AVA and perhaps its most distinctive.

The entire area is a volcanic caldera formed by the massive eruption of Mount George, which later became a freshwater lake. With the eventual collapse of the crater’s western wall, the lake drained and the resulting crescent-shaped caldera created a complex mix of exposures, altitudes and grades that today support a broad range of varieties planted within its boundaries.

Soil types are somewhat consistent throughout the AVA, with volcanic rock atop volcanic ash and pockets of clay and freshwater diatomaceous earth (from the extinct lake) that differs from the saltwater diatomaceous earth found elsewhere in the Napa Valley. Next to Carneros, Coombsville is the coolest of Napa Valley’s nested AVAs, with the morning fog and cooling afternoon breezes from San Pablo Bay moderating temperatures throughout the growing season, leading to longer hang times, more even ripening patterns and enhanced aromatic/flavor development.

The first event I attended was a master class on Cabernet Franc held on April 24 at the Napa Valley Wine Academy. It was led by an expert panel under the leadership of Master Sommelier and Coombsville resident Mark de Vere. Mark emigrated from Oxford, England and was Robert Mondavi’s global ambassador for 27 years. Serving on the panel were Coombsville pioneer vintner/grower John Caldwell (Caldwell Vineyards), winemaker Rudy Zuidema (the Shadybrook Estate portfolio of Coombsville wines) and estate manager Ely McElroy (Favia Wines).

Mark’s expertise with the Coombsville AVA was punctuated by the panel’s insight. We sampled 10 examples of the variety from across the area produced by 10 different vintners over a range of four vintages (2019, 2021, 2022 and two barrel samples from 2024). Overall, the master class offered an insightful presentation and tasting that also drew many knowledgeable comments from the audience — some new to the wines and history of Coombsville, along with others having years of experience and exposure to this distinct area.

The second event — “Discover Coombsville Grand Tasting,” held at CIA at Copia on April 26 — featured 30 Coombsville wineries with each pouring a selection of their wines. Guests were free to sample several wines from each producer ranging from rosés of several varieties to whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and more. As expected, a bevy of reds including Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir, along with a broad representation of Bordeaux-style blends among others, were also proudly featured.

The title of the master class was “Coombsville Cabernet Franc! It’s a Thing,” and the discussion and tasting proved that correct. Cabernet Franc from Coombsville is “a thing” that should be on every wine lover’s radar. Not the easiest variety to grow and surely not the easiest to vinify, but in the proper hands from vineyard to winery, it can produce intriguing wines either alone or part of a Bordeaux-style blend.

If picked just a bit early you will get off-putting green/herbaceous aromatics, and if picked just a bit too late the floral red berry accents will quickly morph into those more easily related to raisins and prunes.

But when harvested at its optimum point, a fresh floral nose with a slight herbal accent (very typical of the Bordeaux varieties) will beautifully complement a rich (but elegant) palate displaying a rare combination of red, blue and to some limited extent black berries with lacy tannins. A classic expression found in varietally-based wines that also adds complexity and spirit to a Bordeaux-style blend.

As pointed out by John Caldwell, various clones of Cabernet Franc are better suited to warmer climates as found in Bordeaux. Others are better suited to cooler areas such France’s Loire Valley and New York state’s Finger Lakes region, where it is the dominant red grape in both areas. These characteristics make it perhaps the perfect red for Coombsville with its warm to very cool shifting climate.

Cabernet Franc (along with Sauvignon Blanc) is a parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, but is far less forgiving when it comes to ideal growing areas and climatic conditions. And over the past decade or so, its per-ton pricing in Napa Valley has grown to exceed that of Cabernet Sauvignon, thus becoming the valley’s most expensive grape.

A distinctive AVA that John Caldwell once described as “an opportunity for winemakers and growers to make the wines you like from one of the world’s most unique growing areas.”

My immersion into Coombsville — its history, people and wines — this past month was rewarding and further cemented my overwhelmingly positive memories and impressions of the area. Traveling through the undulating hills of the caldera is a trip back in time, and meeting the people producing its exceptional wines will reward those willing to make the venture.

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^{Photos of Discover Coombsville on April 26, 2025. All imagery by Elan Villamor.}