Jul 22, 2014
Many times when I begin the
podcasts there are some great conversations that don't make it to
the final cut. One of these conversations was about Rhode Island
and what Stacia really wanted to do when she graduated high school.
Wine making wasn't even in her vocabulary. So I
begin these show notes with a little background on Stacia Williams
that we spoke in detail about after podcast. 
Stacia grew up in Rhode Island and
wanted to go to college at Johnson & Wales and major in Hotel &
Restaurant Management. Her family talked her out of it, they said
they are all engineers and scientist she should follow in those
steps so she went into computer science. Once in the real
world she entered into the software industry where she found
herself drinking lots of wine, attending wine tastings,
then she wanted to make wine. Stacia and Edwin met at a party where
she took him down to taste her the wine that she was making in her
basement and the rest is history! They moved to Fresno, CA so
Stacia could study enology and viticulture at Fresno State and
worked in the vineyard and winery on campus. After she was finished
with her studies they looked all over the world for their place to
settled and decided on Napa. Why? Because out of all
the places they looked, they realized the wines that are made in
Napa are the wines they like to drink the most. They found a 50
acre parcel in St. Helena. Their goal was to have a small
winery with a small vineyard out front and make enough wine to
support the vineyard and house. That would take a while since it
takes 3 years after you plant vines to harvest your first crop to
crush. They began to look at other vineyards and they
purchased a vineyard in the Coombsville AVA, just east of Napa
and began farming on it right away. This vineyard,
Acquaintance is home to mostly Cabernet Sauvignon but all 5
Bordeaux reds are planted there. The following year they looked at
a vineyard in Sonoma County which was planted with Pinot Noir and
Syrah. The cool weather Syrah is dark and rich, not jammy,
very expressive of Syrah character and the Pinot Noir is very
cherry and bright fruit. Sold. They purchased this
vineyard and began farming it as well. This vineyard they named
Confidant Vineyard. Confidant, because of the rolling hills
in this vineyard and the size, let's just say what happens in the
vineyard stays in the vineyard because nobody will ever know what
happens in the vineyard except the vines. Their Atlas Peak Syrah
was just rated 98 points, best in class and region and best in
California at the California State Fair wine competition.
This is mountain fruit from Atlas Peak aged in 70% new oak, half
French half American for 3 years. Soon to be released and you
will get a preview of the tasting notes in the podcast. [caption
id="attachment_277" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Game Pie[/caption]
They also have an on premise restaurant that opened June 5, 2014
"The Farmer &
The Fox" and it's been very well received. Executive Chef
Joseph Humphrey has a wealth of knowledge and great creativity.
It does have a Scotch flare with gastro pub menu featuring
items such as burgers, smoked mussel chowder and popovers.
Unique and special items such as Lamb Tartar, Rabbit
Wellington and Game Pie (soft pastry dough, mustard cream pie, wild
boar, duck and venison). A great feature is no corkage fee at
the restaurant. Cairdean Estates is located on Highway 29 in St
Helena, drive through downtown St Helena and they are 1.5 miles
outside of town on the left. Visit them on line
at http://www.cairdeanestate.com/ and
on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The tasting room is open
until 8pm.
It makes people happy. they come to you, they want to enjoy their experience, they want to drink the wine and enjoy the food and that makes me happy. ~ Stacia Williams
Tasting Notes 
2012 Haley
Margaret - This wine is named after Stacia's cousin who
passed away from cystic fibrosis 2012 at the age of 25. This
wine is a tribute to Haley Margaret to keep her memory alive and to
raise awareness of the disease. They pledge $10 sold of this
wine to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This is a blend of
Roussanne, Pinot Gris and Viogner. A wonderful wine and supports a
great cause. Expressions of lemon curd, grapefruit and some
stone fruit. Very light with balanced acidity is smooth and
delicious. Great with food or a stand alone wine.
2011 Cairdead Vineyards Unoaked
Chardonnay Napa Valley - Aromas of green apple,
ripe pear and hints of citus lead the way to a
soft palate with nice acidity.