Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesSliced green pear and honeysuckle on the nose. Medium to full body with creamy acidity and a tangy finish. Focused and vivid. Green mango at the end. Drink now.
Dave’s one acre “Home” vineyard soon led to production from two more similar sized plantings. The first was his next door neighbor Ann Kraemer’s head trained, Zinfandel vineyard. Ann planted her vineyard about the same time as Dave’s home vineyard with three clones of Zinfandel made famous by Ridge Vineyards. Dave also credits Ann Kraemer, a noted viticulturist and owner of the Rhone varietal focused Shake Ridge Ranch in Amador County, with contributing much to his viticulture education. Finally, in 2011 Dave planted identical Bordeaux clones from his home vineyard to a one acre site in Yountville just north of Stags Leap, allowing an interesting vineyard comparison with identical varietal, clones, spacing and orientation and location the only variable.
Since the “One Acre” 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon bested 500 entries to win top honors in a prestigious international competition in Hong Kong the very limited production “One Acre” wines have been eagerly sought out by knowledgeable wine drinkers. Now in partnership with friend and 30 year wine industry veteran Bob Babbe, the “One Acre” experience is available to a much wider audience with the introduction of ACRE wines.
ACRE wines are produced from exclusively from family owned organically grown vineyards in the stellar AVA’s of Oakville and Yountville. ACRE wines are handcrafted in manner that has characterized One Acre wines from the outset. The ACRE vineyard sites are rich in historical significance being situated on the land where in 1839 George Yount planted the first wine grapes in the Napa Valley.
ACRE growers played a vital role the care and nurturing of the Napa Valley’s agricultural land by taking a leading role in support of the landmark Napa Valley Ag preserve legislation back in 1968. Without this hard fought and far sighted commitment to long term agricultural land use, the incredible viticulture resource of the Napa Valley might have been reduced to just another stretch of urban sprawl.
All ACRE vineyards have been farmed organically for over 20 years, well before it was fashionable, demonstrating enhanced wine quality on top of the ecological benefits.
Dave Becker and Bob Babbe express their mission for ACRE this way, “Blessed with such special vineyards our goal as vintners is to capture the character of the varietal, the place, the soil, the season and express these in every glass of One Acre and ACRE wine”. This effort and reward is encompassed as “Dusty Boots… Stained Hands…Classic Wines”
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.