1999 St. Supery Moscato

St. Supery Vineyard & Winery is in Rutherford, Napa Valley. It was founded in 1989 the Skalli family of France, owners of a large group of food and wine businesses. The 200-acre estate was named for Edward St. Supery, a French winemaker who made wine on the property in the late 19th century. The Skalli family still owns the estate, as well as several estates in France. St. Supery grows numerous red and white grapes, and makes a broad portfolio of wines. Some of the flagship wines are the single vineyard wines from the Dollarhide Estate Vineyard. Along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Bordeaux blends, the estate makes Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and white blends.

St. Helena AVA is at the northern end of Napa Valley just north of Rutherford and south of Calistoga. It is a relatively warm climate thanks to the Mayacamas Mountains on its western edge, which protect it from Pacific Ocean fog. Out of the 9,000 acres in the appellation, some 1,500 are under vine. The principal grapes grown in St. Helena are the Bordeaux grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. St. Helena is considered prime wine producing territory, and it was one of the first important wine producing regions in northern California. The legendary Charles Krug founded his winery just north of the town of St. Helena in 1873, and today the appellation is home to many prestigious producers, including Abreu, Grace Family and Spottswoode.