New Clairvaux

Our Winemaker:  5 Generations of California wine knowledge and experience

In 1882 Swiss immigrant Anton Nichelini began his first job in winemaking in the Napa Valley.  In 1894 he homesteaded a piece of land not far away in Chiles Valley, located in the Napa Valley AVA as well as in the smaller Chiles Valley AVA.  He began planting vines and by 1890 had built his first stone winery.  The winery is currently the oldest family owned and operated winery in the Napa Valley, and the second oldest in California.  The Nichelini wines are now made by great-grandson Justin Boeger who is the son of Greg Boeger, founder of Boeger Winery, the largest in El Dorado County.  Justin performs the winemaking duties at both family wineries.  Zinfandel has always been a big part of the Nichelini wine portfolio and the vineyards are home to some vines over 80 years in age. 

This brings us back to New Clairvaux and how this over 100 years of California winemaking and grape growing experience has journeyed to this spot.  It is in the form of winemaker, Aimee Sunseri, a 5th generation California winemaker and direct descendant of Anton Nichelini.  She truly grew up in one of the California’s pioneering winemaking families where she spent her days working in the family winery and vineyards.  She graduated from UC Davis with honors in Viticulture and Enology and had Greg and Justin Boeger as mentors during her early years.  She still spends time working at the family winery in Napa as well as being responsible for the winemaking duties at New Clairvaux and is the vineyard manager for the Poor Souls vineyard on the grounds at Vina.

The Wines: The hard work is rewarded

The winery produces wines more reminiscent of the Spanish and Italian style than French based on the grapes and their growing environment.  The winery currently offers eight wines, three whites and five reds. 

The Albarino is a wonderful tribute to a lovely Spanish white; light, fruity and refreshing.  The Trebbiano, not often found in California, has just a hint of oak, vanilla and a little stone fruit.  The last white, Viognier has that lovely floral aroma and great fruit that gives it the impression of residual sugar that isn’t there. 

The red wines start with a Zinfandel Rose done in a Beaujolais Nouveau style, a process much like that used to make Gamay Beaujolais in Burgundy.  The estate offers two distinctly different Zinfandels.  The St. James, grown in deep loamy soils, is lighter bodied with great berry fruit as well as vanilla and toast flavors from its eighteen months in 2 to 3 year old oak barrels.  The Poor Souls Zinfandel, which comes from the rocky creek bed and is aged eighteen months in neutral oak, has big fruit and spice on the palate with a more robust tannin structure.  Next up is the Syrah, which has all the great aromas of black fruit and a bit of earthiness with a very nice structure of acid and round tannins.  Last is the Petite Sirah. We were lucky enough to be able to barrel taste the 2006 vintage; Wonderful!  This is going to be a great Petite if it continues down the path it is on.  It has great mouthfeel, intense fruit and spice with a very good tannin structure.  It will be bottled in 2008 and should be worth waiting for. Continued ...