Shibumi Knoll is located in the center of the Napa Valley .3 miles off Highway 29 and a quarter mile from the Napa River. It is on the alluvial fan of Mill Creek and is composed of 80% rock. The first vintage was in 2003, the grapes were processed at Benessere Winery located about a half mile north of Shibumi Knoll. There, while watching the grapes being processed, owner Don Ross met another vintner, Eugena Keegan, who was bringing in Chardonnay grapes from Sonoma County. Eugena asked Don if he’d like to barrel taste her wines. The last wine he tasted, a Chardonnay from Buena Tierra Vineyards, he felt was stunning. Eugena was moving to Oregon so he approached the owner of Buena Tierra Vineyards, located on the Russian River in Sonoma county about buying the grapes. The owner explained that because the vines were 35 years old and grape production was down, he was going to replant the 2.4-acre block. Don offered to pay full production price for whatever grapes were harvested, an agreement which has continued for 16 years.

The Shibumi Knoll Buena Tierra Chardonnay has proven to be among the best in the country. The 2005 vintage received a 97 from The Wine Spectator, tied for the highest score given California Chardonnay in the first decade of this century. This ancient block of vines has produced some incredible Chardonnay vintage after vintage. The Buena Tierra Vineyard was planted in 1978, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the Russian River Valley. Owned and farmed by Joseph R. Miller, this venerable vineyard is located 1.5 miles southeast of Rochioli Vineyard in the low hills of the Laguna Ridge where the Russian River turns to head west to the Pacific Ocean. The site is ideal for Chardonnay, with well-drained sandy clay loam soil, cooling morning and evening fog from the ocean and bright sunshine during the day. Selectively irrigated, the vineyard is planted to several clones.

On the nose, you smell honeycomb and apricot with a slight hint of warm spices. The color is bright, clear and golden with legs that gently slide down the sides. The taste is a treat of Meyer lemon and vanilla with a touch of Crème Brulee. Its fresh, smooth and delicate. The complex flavors of the old vines make this wine an old soul. The finish lingers just long enough.

Effortless Perfection or “Shibumi” define both this tiny estate just north of St. Helena and Thomas Brown’s winemaking. Having been frequent visitors to the Napa Valley since the mid-90’s, Don and Joann Ross bought the vineyard cottage atop a valley floor knoll surrounded by less than an acre of 28 year old Cabernet just south of the Panek Vyd. They made their first Shibumi Knoll Cabernet in 2003 and the following year added a second wine, a Chardonnay, from a 2 acre block of 50 year old Wente clone in Russian River’s Buena Tierra Vineyard. In 2012, Don and Joann finalized the line up as it remains today with a Buena Tierra Pinot Noir which since 2017 is sourced from the Riddle Vineyard just west of Healdsburg. These 3 wines show the pedigree that have made them a favorite of top restaurants around the country. The quality and pedigree of these wines are superb with winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown and David Abreu as their vineyard manager.