In 2001, Napa Valley claimed 13 sub-appellations.  In April of 2004, Oak Knoll District became Napa Valley's 14th sub-appellation, continuing a trend seen in every grape growing region of the United States.

The Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley (its formal name) is comprised of 8,300 acres, of which 3,500 are planted to 14 varieties, mostly Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.  While there are 16 bonded wineries within its boundaries, more than 40 wineries source fruit from it.  Among them, Opus One, Joseph Phelps, and now, of course, THIRTEEN.

The creation of a brand new American Viticultural Area (AVA) might seem to have more to do with marketing than merit.  But the truth is, wines from Oak Knoll have more in common with each other than with wines from anywhere else.  What that is exactly, is hard to pin down.  And therein lies the elusiveness of terroir.  Why does a Cabernet Sauvignon from one plot of land taste consistently different from another one grown a few hundred yards away?  When everything else is accounted for--rootstock, clonal selection, vine and row spacing, trellising, canopy management, disease control, irrigation, fertilization, and winemaking--what explains the difference one tastes?

In a word, soil.  Soil is what makes wines distinctive.  Soil is what takes wine beyond fruit.  Soil is what wine-geeks mean when they speak of wines having a sense of place.

All of which brings us back to THIRTEEN.  As Napa Valley continues to evolve--to discover itself--so, too, will our wine.  Because it is not the hand that makes the wine, it's the land.  And the brand follows the land.