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Origins & Evolution

Viticulture

Choosing the Clones

Prior to our acquisition, the vineyard produced cabernet sauvignon grapes that were blended into Cain Five. Yields from the vineyard had dwindled steadily in the late 1990’s because the clones were grafted on AXR root stock, and the vines suffered from phylloxera. When we acquired the property, we benefited from the advice of Master of Wine, Jean Michel Valette, the former CEO of Franciscan Estates and former Chairman of the Robert Mondavi winery.

We re-planted the 3 1/2 acres of prime cabernet soil with clone 4 and 337 on 3309 and 101-14 root stock. The vineyard is divided into two blocks. We use a drip irrigation system and have one dedicated well for the vineyard.

History of Vineyard Managers

Davey Pina of Pina Vineyards re-planted the vineyard and was our first vineyard manager. By 2003, Jim Barbour was managing the vineyard, and in 2003 we had enough grapes that were of sufficient quality for our very first commercial crop, the ’03, to be blended into Jim Barbour’s phenomenal wine, with Heidi Barrett at the helm. The Leaf + Twig grapes accounted for approximately 20% of the ’03 Barbour, which Vinfolio reviewed as follows: “The nose shows rich shadings of nectarine, currant, and spicy chocolate mole. The palate is rich and smooth with roasted currant, chocolate, and anise pod.” Pete Richmond, Stan Zervas, Arnulfo Solorio and their team at Silverado Farming have managed the Leaf + Twig vineyard into its early maturity, and the Leaf + Twig wine has been made atVineyard 29 since ’04.

 


Why Leaf + Twig?

We are animal lovers; some, especially those who know us well, might even describe us as dog nuts. Our two golden retrievers, Leaf, who lived to age 13, and Twig, who lived to age 10, preceded our acquisition of the vineyard. Since we first found the property in 2000, Leaf and Twig were never happier than when we were all in St. Helena together. We featured the two dogs on the original back label of the 2004 and 2005 vintages before we transitioned to the current label, designed by David Hughes. For us, the name Leaf + Twig has always had a double meaning, representing two essential elements of the grape vines that produce our wine as well as our two loyal companions.

The clean, minimalist look of the Leaf + Twig bottle is more complex than it appears to be at first glance. Upon closer inspection, the label embossing reveals an impression of leaves from the vineyard along the top of the label, with twigs similarly displayed along the bottom.  Our label conveys the subtle depth of the wine that you will experience as you savor its complex aromas. This is a big wine meant to age and evolve in the bottle, but it is also accessible in its early years after release.

 

History of Winemakers

The first vintage of Leaf + Twig, the 2004, was made by Philippe Melka at Vineyard 29. Keith Emerson, Philippe's protégé at Vineyard 29 who has been the Director of Winemaking at Vineyard 29 since 2005, has made every subsequent vintage of Leaf + Twig. Keith obtained his Enology and Viticulture degree from University of California, Davis in 1999. He began his winemaking career at Cakebread Cellars and after a year accepted the enologist position with Sonoma’s historical Gundlach Bundschu winery. There he quickly ascended to assistant winemaker and soon after was named associate winemaker. In March 2004, Keith took a sabbatical and traveled to Martinborough, New Zealand to work harvest for Palliser Estate Wines.

At Vineyard 29, Keith is charged with managing the production of Vineyard 29’s estate portfolio as well as the Cru label. As director, Emerson oversees all wine programs for Vineyard 29’s ultra-premium custom crush clientele, managing wine production for prestigious producers including Gemstone, Melka, Knighton Family, and Sonría as well as Leaf + Twig. Concurrent with his Vineyard 29 duties, in 2005 Emerson partnered with friend and colleague, Brian Brown on the artisan winemaking endeavor, Emerson Brown Wines. Highly regarded, Emerson was sought after in 2006 to consult for Robert Craig Winery, and in 2008 former employer Gundlach Bundschu called upon him to consult as well.

 

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