There were we were enjoying a wine tasting at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan featuring Ashes & Diamonds Winery of Napa Winery conducted by the proprietor Kashy Khaledi.  The next two wines were made by his winemaker Diana Snowden Seysses who applies a “holistic approach” to wine production with a studied balance of Old-World tradition and New-World concepts.  She is a Napa Valley native and a Burgundian by adoption.  “The most memorable wines carry an echo of nature’s heartbeat.  They are the result of vineyard work without chemicals, on a thriving soil ecosystem, and native yeast fermentation with minimal handling in the winery.”

We had Ashes & Diamonds Grand Vin No. 4 Oak Knoll District 2017.  Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA is in the southern part of Napa Valley near San Pablo Bay and is known for its cooler atmosphere and respected for the wonderful “Bordelais red wines” that thrive there.  It was first planted in the 1850’s and thrived until Prohibition and rediscovered in the 1960’s; it was awarded an AVA in 2004.  The wine is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from thirty-year-old vines grown on the gravelly clay loam of the estates vineyard.  The whole cluster fruit after harvest had Initial Fermentation and Maceration for seventeen days in Stainless-Steel tank using indigenous yeasts.  The wine was aged for nineteen months in French Oak of which thirty-seven percent was new; with a production of seven-hundred cases.  A ruby-red wine that offered notes of black and red fruit, chocolate, and a blend of baking spices along with toasted oak.  On the palate tones of blueberries and strawberries with medium acidity and tannins, finishing with traces of herbs and spices.

A couple of terms that seem to be bandied about nowadays “openness and transparency” are heard often, but it seems to be used to cloak secrets.  Ashes & Diamonds Winery believes in the concepts.  They actually print technical information on the back labels of the wines, which I find quite refreshing.  In the old days, and even today, some wineries think that they are working on the Manhattan Project and all information is proprietary.  I appreciate the notes.

The second wine that we enjoyed made under the auspices of Diana Snowden Seysses was the Ashes & Diamonds Winery Mountain Cuvee No. 4 Saffron Vineyard Mount Veeder 2019.  Mount Veeder is 2,700 feet high and marks the boundary between Napa and Sonoma counties.  The vineyards are planted on the rocky, clay-rich remnants of an ancient seabed, these soils and the steep slopes provide a terroir where the grapes must struggle for survival.  Even as difficult as it is, there are about fifty wineries there.  Originally planted in the 19^th Century, it fell into decline during Prohibition and was rediscovered in the 1960’s; and was awarded an AVA in 1990.  Saffron Vineyard is organically farmed by Lisa Chu, located above the fog inversion line and the temperatures are often fifteen degrees cooler than the valley.  The vines were planted in 2000 in thin soils of uplifted marine sediment and fractured shale.  The wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.  The fruit undergoes Initial Fermentation and Maceration for fourteen days in Stainless Steel tanks and indigenous yeasts.  The wine was aged for nineteen months in French Oak, of which thirty-five percent was new; three-hundred-five cases were produced.  A deep garnet colored wine that offered notes of red and black fruits, cinnamon, and toasted oak.  On the palate a well-balance wine where there were tones of plums, and dark fruits, cocoa, soft-fine-grained tannins, finishing with a nice medium count of baking spices and terroir.