Today we share one of the historic sites of Coombsville. Haynes Vineyard s a longtime producer of Pinot Noir, Syrah, and three tiers of Chardonnay from the oldest Chardonnay vines in Napa Valley. Lawrence Wine Estates acquired the Haynes Vineyard back in 2019 from Patricia Haynes. Her family had owned the property since the 1860s.
Speaking yesterday with Carlton McCoy, MS, he explained “this was originally a homestead and they grew animals. Then in the 1960s Patricia was approached by Louis Martini and Andre Tchelistcheff to convert their agricultural land to viticulture. Her response was she doesn’t know anything about growing grapes but if you want to plant it and manage it that is great. They did that in 1967. We bought it in 2019 and they had original Wente Clone planted in 1967. The Pinot Noir was also planted then, the Louis Martini clone.”
The vineyard has a gentle slope which is north-facing. Chardonnays come from three different locations which are very impacted by the wind. McCoy explained “What we found by tasting the fruit and making the wines is scientifically there are very different reactions with heavy wind. They dig deeper to stabilize the vines. That is true with wind drawn areas where the vines are super deep. Second, grapes naturally grow a thicker skin as a defense to the wind. We see this in the Ucco Valley in Mendoza where the skins become thicker. What this does is produce a Chardonnay that has much more phenolics and more depth than the other two Chardonnays.” The Chardonnay are given native yeast fermentation and are stored in large format barrels. They see no sulfur for a years and there is no battonage and racking. The wine stays on the lees for the entire time in unique Stockinger barrels. Wines are stored in barrel or 21 months before bottling.
I was enamored by the new Chardonnay bottlings. These by far surpass the wines that I tasted in the ‘00s from this site. I adore the 2022 ‘Corazon’ Chardonnay (OB, 95) which is rich, viscous and marvelously flinty. This is reminiscent of a world-class warm vintage Chablis. Learn more about these electric wines at https://haynesvineyard.com/ and here are the great newlines by Haynes Vineyard.
2022 Haynes Vineyard ‘Forgeron’ Chardonnay- The 2022 ‘Forgeron’ Chardonnay delivers toasted hazelnut alongside Key Lime and shades of white peach. The palate is plush and rich with great flavor density and outstanding length. Delicious and mineral-laden, enjoy now and over the next eight plus years. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2022 Haynes Vineyard ‘Vigneron’ Chardonnay- The 2022 ‘Vigneron’ Chardonnay offers brioche and lemon rind alongside suggestions of gingerbread. This is loaded with lemon rind, diatom and nutmeg alongside suggestions of freshly cut limes and sourdough bread on the palate. The length of the wine is really outstanding. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2022 Haynes Vineyard ‘Corazon’ Chardonnay- Coming from a south-facing portion of the vineyard, the 2022 Haynes Vineyard ‘Corazon’ Chardonnay offers great flavor density and weight. Roasted pineapple and mango notes combine wth salted nectarine and shades of honeydew melon and wet rock on the palate. Drink 2025-2035- 95
2023 Haynes Vineyard ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir- The 2023 Haynes Vineyard ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir saw native fermentation and nearly 70% whole cluster fermentation. Stored in mainly natural oak, this delivers salted pomegranate and wild strawberry notes alongside dried herbs. The palate is loaded with freshness and mouth-watering acidity. Juicy and delicious, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2035- 94
2023 Haynes Vineyard ‘Estate’ Syrah- The 2023 ‘Estate’ saw all stem inclusion and was aged in all large format barrels before bottling. Blood orange zest and white pepper with beef drippings combine on the nose. The palate is concentrated and fresh with a fleshy texture and a marvelous core of black fruits and herbs. This is very Napa meets Cornas. Drink 2025-2035- 94