2019 D.R. Stephens Collateral Paras Vineyard Grenache

D.R. Stephens Estate was founded in Saint Helena, in the Napa Valley, in 1996 by Don and Trish Stephens. Don Stephens is a San Francisco lawyer and former restaurateur. The couple planted their 9-acre Moose Valley Vineyard in 1996 and their debut release was their 1999 D.R. Stephens Estate Moose Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate also makes Chardonnay.

Mount Veeder AVA was established in 1993, though its origins as a wine producing district date to the 19th century. A German Presbyterian pastor named Peter Veeder was one of the first landowners in the area, and by 1864 one of his neighbors, a German sea captain named Stelham Wing, was producing wine commercially. The area continued to attract German agricultural entrepreneurs, some of whom established the estate that would later become the Christian Brothers Mont La Salle winery. Today the AVA includes about 1,000 acres of vineyards, most of them at relatively high altitudes. The Mayacamas vineyard, for instance, is at 2,400 feet. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

One of the most popular red varieties planted, it ripens late and prefers hot dry climates. It probably originated in Spain, where it is still widely grown. Grenache is best known for its use in Southern Rhone wines, including those of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.