The Wheels in the Sky--Red Cap Vineyards

The day Tom and Desiree Altemus purchased their Howell Mountain property, Tom opened the door of his family’s new home on ten acres and looked up to the clear, dark Napa Valley sky overlooking his future vineyard site.  Just as he glanced up, a huge meteor streaked across the sky.  The fireball seemed so huge that Tom was sure he was going to see it burst into flames as it hit the ground a hillside over from his new acreage.  Though the meteor wasn’t as big as it appeared, Tom sensed it was a sign, a symbol.  First, he knew he and his growing family were supposed to be in this place, this setting.  He also knew that the success of his planned vineyard and wine were going to come only after his own walk through the fire of multiple obstacles. 

The first obstacle Tom faced was Napa itself.  In the middle of a moratorium of allowing new vineyards to be planted, Tom waited for the okay to plant his vines.  He waited, and he waited.  He waited so long that he had to take action.  He brought a lawsuit against the county of Napa to move the development of his vineyard forward.  Many others who were also waiting for the approval from the county for their own vineyards watched Tom’s lawsuit with great interest.  If he could get the powers that be to begin approving the planting of new vineyards on Howell Mountain, not only could Tom and Desiree advance, but many others could too.    

The beauty of and beautiful view from Howell Mountain.

The lawsuit worked.  The backlog of permits to plant on Howell Mountain started to move.  Tom and Desiree began planting after three years of waiting, and so did others.  This was the second boom on Howell Mountain, following early pioneers like Randy Dunn in the 1970s.  Tom became one of multiple new faces growing mountain fruit from the unique Napa AVA.

Tom’s plans progressed, and his vines and grapes grew beautifully on the six and a half planted acres.  The first test vintage from which Tom and his winemaker, Rudy Zuidema, made wine was 2005.  Tom and Rudy were impressed with the juice from the “practice” vintage and looked forward to 2006, the first full vintage.  (See my story of the 2006 Red Cap Cabernet.)  This was a great first vintage.  The 2007 was an excellent vintage year in general, also producing what Tom deemed would be an excellent wine.   He and Rudy released the inaugural 2006 wines in 2008 as planned…and then the next obstacle hit:  the worst of the deep recession.

Tom's vines on Howell Mountain, planted in the red, Aiken loam.

Selling a high-end Howell Mountain cabernet in a time when everyone was cutting back spending was not an easy path.  Especially with a wine from a little-known grape grower and a young wine maker.  But Tom, Desiree, and Rudy trudged forward, making stellar wine and promoting their AVA. 

The wines began to sell, slowly at first, but steadily none the less.  More solid vintages came in from Tom’s beautiful red dirt.  His children grew.  His wife continued to work her day job.  Red Cap Vineyards’ popularity and prestige increased, as did the reputation of the Howell Mountain area itself.

Tom believes Howell Mountain fruit is the key to the success of his wines; it is what allowed him to weather the stress and strain of releasing a first vintage in some of the worst economic times the country had seen in decades.  It is also what allowed him to build a reputation of excellent wines.

The soil, almost as fire red as that move-in-day meteor, gives a great mineral characteristic to the wines.  The red dirt filled with oxidized iron and mineral characteristics is called Aiken loam and is like no other.  In addition to the soil, the climate also adds to the character of the wines.  The mountain area of Tom’s planted acres has a much smaller range of daily temperatures throughout the year:  the temps do not get as cold at night, nor do they get as hot during the day.  This leads to a long, steady growing season.  The fruit ripens more slowly, allowing the seeds and their tannins to ripen more fully.  Tom actually doesn’t pick based on brix (the level of sugar in the grapes) like many growers and wine makers do; he harvests based on seed ripeness.  The seed tannins ripen much slower than the skin tannins; they are also the tannins that, when not developed, give the “green” flavor to wines.  Tom picks when the seed tannins are nutty and soft, and these softer tannins show themselves in his wines--wines with big, bold fruit; deep, dark color; peppy, perfect acid; and silky, soft tannins.  Really, a perfect combination for cabernet sauvignon wines.

Roscoe and the vines showing the Aiken loam, unique soil of Howell Mountain.

Grapes just reaching veraison--fruit set. 

Tasting at Red Cap is as unique as the wines and soil.  There is no tasting room, and there are no tasting room hours.  Tom invites fans up periodically for a relaxed tasting similar to ones he had experienced at other wineries.  A welcoming picnic table sits with views of the vineyards and forest.  Roscoe, the Altemus family dog, greets wine lovers who sit and visit with Tom (and Desiree if she is home) while sampling Red Cap vino. 

A "tasting room" like no other at Red Cap Vineyards.

Sipping and chatting with Tom during our tasting.

Yes, that is Roscoe relaxing on my foot--the sweetest wine dog ever!

While sitting and sipping with visitors, Tom talks about the vineyards, the vintages, and the mountain.  On this particular day, Tom and I started with the Red Cap 2013 Sauvignon Blanc.  Beautifully aromatic and refreshing, this was a great wine to prime my palate.  This was also the perfect light wine for such a hot day.

Next we had the Red Cap 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, a year that, at the time, was known for less-than-stellar growing conditions.  However, after careful wine making techniques and a few years in bottle, it has matured into a great example of mineral and metallic rust (think the red Aiken loam) on the nose with full fruit and tannin on the palate. 

We finished with the Red Cap 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, the harvest known as nearly perfect.  This wine is still quite young in the bottle, yet shows bold cherry with silky tannins on the palate.  It is already a show stopper and should age well for years to come.

Amazing Red Cap wines.

While Tom chats about these wines and his other vintages, he is like a proud parent; he is not able to choose an absolute favorite, but he speaks almost lovingly about the fine qualities of each vintage so far:  2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.  The 2013 and 2014 vintages are still in production, still yet to show the world what they will be. 

He also talks with pride of his property and where all the effort has taken it and his family.  His children—now 20, 17, and 11—all have small jobs and vineyard chores for which they are responsible.  However, his oldest only spends summers at home now since she is in college.  His middle son is excitedly looking forward to his busy senior year.  It’s the Altemuses’ youngest child that seems to relish in the vineyard work.  He will run and play in the vineyard or come home from school and eat handful after handful of grapes, all while feeding many to Roscoe as well.  Boy and dog are definitely grooming themselves for future vineyard work by first-hand knowledge of the vines.

Forests surround the vines, a great place to raise a family.

Red Cap Vineyards is a perfect example of great wines that come from having vision and perseverance, of letting no obstacles stand in the way.  After the fateful symbol of the meteor streaking across the sky, Tom and Desiree have been able to build a comfortable, rural lifestyle through their hard work, a lifestyle they love sharing with their children, family, and friends.  Tom put it best when he honestly stated, “This place is badass.”  Frankly, after one morning with him at Red Cap, I would agree.

Special--Red Cap Vineyards, Howell Mountain

It would seem impossible.  Absolutely impossible.  There could be no way. 

How would one choose a bottle of wine to symbolize the culmination of thirteen years?  More actually. 

To treat myself to a special glass after an even more special occasion—the youngest child’s graduation from high school—was my goal.  This was the first of many special life milestones for him, yet a very important one.  Made more so by the fact he was one of the class’s co-valedictorians, a goal he set for himself when he first started high school.  So very special for our son. 

Yet, my husband and I wanted something for us to toast each other, as well.  After all the work of the reception, the day, the week…maybe even the years.  My philosophy of parenting has always been “it’s about the kids, not about the parents.”  However, my spouse and I wanted just a moment to share between the two of us.  No children involved, just an extraordinary glass of wine.

The Occasion

Now, extraordinary for me doesn’t necessarily mean expensive.  It doesn’t necessarily mean from an exotic location.  It doesn’t mean high critic scores. And it doesn’t mean a big-named producer.  This wine was more about the occasion. It had to be a wine my husband and I would both enjoy.  Respect.  Know the story behind the bottle. Maybe even be a producer I was dying to try.  (If the wine just happened to meet the above standards of scores and location, so be it.)

So, when I walked into a Rapid City, South Dakota liquor store—Canyon Lake Liquors—imagine how thrilled I was to find a bottle of Red Cap Vineyards 2006 Cabernet.  It fit my criteria exactly.  The perfect balance between my husband’s bold palate and my slightly more reserved sense of taste.  A well respected, yet small producer.  A great story behind the production of the wine.   A label that featured a young boy on a tree swing—perfect for the parents of a boy who was no longer that young. 

The Vineyard

I had been following certain wine lovers on social media for some time; this was how I originally got turned on to Red Cap Vineyards.  The more research I did the more I wanted to find a bottle.  However, located in the remote area of Howell Mountain in Napa Valley with no tasting room and most of its limited 280 cases a year sold through select distributors in just a few states, I was pretty sure I would never get my hands on a bottle until I went to California this summer.  After the initial shock of spotting the boy on a swing from the Red Cap label, I snatched the bottle from the shelf as if someone might grab it away from me, marched to the register, and purchased it as fast as I could!  I was so excited about my acquisition, I really didn’t pay much attention to the selection until I got home.

After I was safely away from any crowd that might steal my rare wine find, I looked more closely at the bottle.  Again, another surprise awaited me:  this was a 2006—the first vintage Tom and Desiree Altemus and winemaker Rudy Zuidema made from their vines planted on Howell Mountain.  In addition to the year being special for the vintage, it also was great timing to open the wine since it had some time to age in the bottle. 

The Bottle

At the end of the day on Sunday, after decorating for the party, getting dressed up, waiting for commencement, sitting nervously through my son’s speech (he did great, by the way), hugging other graduates, eating tasty food, saying thanks to well-wishers, cleaning up the aftermath, and watching my grad open gifts, my husband and I were finally ready to relax. 

Heels came off.  The bottle was opened.  The wine was poured, swirled, sniffed, and sipped.  And delicious.  Absolutely delicious. 

In the glass, the deep, inky, chokecherry-red made beautiful tears as it ran down the sides of the glass.  On the nose, the smells of fig, spice, earth, and ginger came through.  On the palate, the baked plum led to tannins that smoothed to velvet over the tongue.  The finish was all fruit and lasted forever. 

I enjoyed the glass so much, that I actually became a bit of a wine hoarder, only allowing us to have a smaller glass that night.  I wanted a glass the next night, too!  Yes, it was so nice, I wanted that bottle to drink from twice. So we poured the next night as well.  Being opened for twenty-four hours changed the wine, but only slightly.  I think the tannins were more approachable on the first sip; they were smoother the instant they hit the palate.  The fruit and spice were still complex in the mouth, and the finish still seemed to last an eternity. 

The Wine

Though it may seem impossible, a special occasion really does deserve a special wine.  One that maybe took a little bit of a search and a lot bit of luck.  This bottle does not have to be the “perfect” bottle, it just has to be the perfect one for that specific occasion. 

It has to be one that matches the gravity of the celebration, one that represents the people and places and memories of the milestone.  Just like our Red Cap Vineyards 2006 Cabernet, the bottle will become a part of the memory itself.  A reason to smile because it evokes memories on its own.  I truly feel honored to have scored such a unique find for my husband and I to toast each other on our youngest’s high school graduation.  A wine that is as special as he is.  A wine that will forever make me think of my son on his first of many “adult” accomplishments.