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ABOUT GRASSO’S VINEYARD ESTATE
Franks passion for wine has always been in his heart. While raising a family and a business with his wife Fran, Frank missed many opportunities to take the leap and start a wine related business. Throughout the years, friends and business associates ran opportunities by him or wanted to partner with him in a Wine & Movie Theater, a Pasta/Wine Bar and a Winery. Finally in 1989, Frank and Fran moved to Napa. After locating a prime piece of Napa, east of the city of Napa in the foothills of Mt. George, they hired Richard Nagaoka a Viticulture Consultant who found the area ideal for grapes --specifically Cabernet Sauvignon. The soil is a rocky/cobbly alluvial normally found in hillside vineyards.
Frank's continued research found that alluvial is soil deposited by a river or other running water, hence the round river rock that keeps bubbling up after each winter rain. A plus for this site is the unique style of grape that can be grown here. Grapes grown in mostly stony alluvial soil produce wines with more concentrated fruit flavors. Valley floor vineyards have produced remarkably structured wines for decades in their clay loam soil. Therefore, with less access to hillsides and rocky/cobbly alluvial soil, there are fewer of these distinctive grapes and the wine made from them.
The Grasso Estate’s Olive Ridge Vineyard “terroir” is characterized by the soil, the cool evenings and warm days that bring light summer breezes over Mt. George and the surrounding hills that gently ventilate the vines bringing a slow and balanced ripening of the fruit. This unique “terroir” has produced a concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon exploding with superior character.
While consulting with vineyard managers and understanding winemakers’ needs, Frank attended various classes on viticulture both at Napa Valley College and UC Davis. With this knowledge over the years Frank became a hands on grower.
Olive Ridge Vineyard is approximately 3 acres utilizing a GDC quadrilateral trellis system with the row direction planted north/south to take advantage of east/west sun. The vines are planted on 1103P, clone 7 on the slopes and 5C, clone 7 in the flat areas. The vineyard is never tilled but mowed to prevent erosion. Canopy management is constantly worked throughout the growing season. Total yield in the vineyard is limited to 3 tons per acre to ensure a concentrated cabernet sauvignon.
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