Tucked in the shadow of Mount George, Palmaz Vineyards boasts a viticultural heritage dating back to 1881, when legendary winemaker Henry Hagen planted its first grapevines. The land was abandoned until Julio Palmaz, physician and inventor of the first heart stent, and his wife Amalia discovered it in 1997. They were inspired by the land’s cool climate and stony soils and by the mountain’s potential for housing a multilevel gravity winery.
With the conviction that gravity is the oldest and gentlest way to move wine, Julio, Amalia, and their team proceeded to design an elaborate gravity-flow system for the winery. It took 10 years, but today it is a reality, carved into the side of Mount George. The winery’s fermentation dome, measuring 74 feet high and 52 feet wide, is said to be the world’s largest underground reinforced structure. Here grapes are sorted, crushed, and stored in tanks for their first fermentation. Barrel aging occurs on the next two levels, and then bottling and case storage take place at the base of Mount George, where the wine can be easily loaded for shipping.
But to fully appreciate Palmaz Vineyards wines, one must back up and consider the land where the grapes are grown. Palmaz cultivates its grapes in three distinct estate vineyards located at 400, 1,200, and 1,400 feet above sea level—offering a myriad of microclimates, sun exposure, and soil variations providing a broad range of flavors and structures for blending. Since the climate is relatively cool, the grapes ripen at relatively moderate sugar levels.
Palmaz Vineyards is a family vision. Julio and Amalia’s daughter Florencia, son Christian, and Christian’s wife Jessica all play key roles. They warmly welcome visitors who arrange a tour or tasting in advance and assure guests that a family member will be their guide. The tours are touted as being among the most personal, impressive, and memorable in the entire Napa Valley. And so, for that matter, are Palmaz Vineyards wines.