Field Book Spring Creek Vineyard
Estate Red Wine
2023

In 2007, we launched our series of Field Book wines, so named to speak to the extensive notes taken as we sought interesting vineyard sites from which to produce compelling wines that express their unique terroirs. In 2016 we didn’t have to search further than next door, when our neighbor asked us to farm their Spring Creek Vineyard. We jumped at the opportunity and entered into a long-term lease.

This historic vineyard was first established in the 1880s and was planted to Petite Sirah in the 1990s. Bordering the southern edge of our estate, we have since replanted the acreage to heritage California varieties like Carignan, Alicante Bouschet, Napa Gamay, and Mourvedre, as well as to trial other varieties like Touriga Nacional, Manseng Noir, Tinta Cao, Falanghina, and Assyrtiko. We did this with the intent of exploring farming and winemaking in the face of climate change, experimenting to find those varieties that will hold both color and acid in our hotter, drier present and future. The Spring Creek Vineyard thus speaks to both the past and future of winegrowing in Napa Valley.

This tiny vineyard – only one hectare (2.2 acres) – is composed of benchland bale clay and alluvial soils and enjoys the same cooling maritime breezes that come through the gap between Spring Mountain and the Mayacamas Range and pass over the Spottswoode Estate Vineyard.

Winemaker Notes: A balance of texture and structure presents a dark, aromatic wine that first shines with cherry and raspberry before unfolding into richer notes of blackberry. Firm, juicy tannins provide energy and tension, hinting at the wine’s ability to age gracefully. Layers of humic earth, sweet oak, cocoa powder, and violet emerge. Juicy and intense, fresh and raw, yet approachable and silky to enjoy immediately with a rough decant. You can be comfortable with the fact that this can very easily be saved for later, too.

Vintage Notes: After two challenging drought years and an extremely hot 2022 vintage, 2023 delivered a beautifully balanced growing season. Winter provided abundant, much-needed rainfall and replenished the soil, while a mild spring and summer gave way to an unexpectedly cool post-veraison window. This cooler weather continued through harvest, allowing us to pick perfectly ripe fruit at our leisure.