R V N S Vol 3: The HERON - Origin Story A Supporting Actor Takes the Lead

While quality at the Ravens Vineyard keeps improving, recent quantities have been scant. Since 2019, we have not had enough fruit to produce our two estate Cabernet Sauvignon counterparts: the French oak-driven RAVENS, and its vibrant sibling, PEARL of the RAVENS, a wine focused by Tuscan terracotta amphora. 
When I approached Aaron Pott about enhancing our red portfolio, he proposed some excellent sources for Cabernet Sauvignon. But I wouldn't know how to position that relative to our estate vineyard. Plus the fact that the world does not really need another Napa Cab, led me to ask for another idea.
He suggested the Bordeaux varietal Petit Verdot, which at that point, I had never tried in its pure form. When asked what to expect, he described notes of India ink and fennel, which was all I needed to hear. He found the organic, single vineyard in St. Helena for the debut 2022 vintage.

With The SERPENTS, the pure Sémillon we have been producing since 2014, it has been rewarding to showcase a varietal that usually appears as a blending grape in pure form—like giving a supporting actor a starring role and watching them shine.
With Petit Verdot, we are again acting as impresario, taking another Bordeaux varietal traditionally relegated to a minor role, usually in low, single-digit percentages, and spotlighting its full range of expression.
Pure Petit Verdot tends to give a less compelling performance in its native terrain, as if this actor was destined to become a star outside of their homeland.
Petit Verdot, is a thick-skinned, late ripening grape. In Bordeaux, a maritime climate much cooler than Napa’s Mediterranean climate, achieving proper ripeness is often a challenge, as attested to by its name, which  roughly translates to “the little green one.”  The moniker followed it across the Atlantic, but seems out of synch in the sunny New World. To do it justice, I sought another name for the grape, as varietals are often called differently in another region or in a dialect. I found the synonym Heran, which evokes the majestic bird.
Petit Verdot is a grape known for its inkiness and power; thus, a bigger creature than a raven and still in the avian theme, "heron" seemed appropriate. Aaron felt the name aligned, for when he was studying in Burgundy and working in Bordeaux, the French accent would often render his name “Haaron.”

As I began conceiving the label art, I naturally started seeing images of herons everywhere. I had recently been in Japan, where I admired the calligraphic brushiness of many logos and imagery. I wanted to capture that immediacy and energy for The HERON label.
Bottling date was approaching, the deadline for the label artwork was in a few days, but I was still processing the design. On a trip from Napa to San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and entering the historic Presidio, traffic had halted. In the middle of the street stood a Great Blue Heron, freezing all drivers in a moment of respect and awe. An omen.

(Seeing this flashed me back to a time I witnessed stopped traffic along Lake Lugano for a line of geese crossing the road, which seemed only possible in Switzerland.) I had received the inspiration and visual imprinting necessary to quickly paint the label image and submit for print.

I chose the classic "Champagne Green" glass bottle traditionally used by Bordeaux producers, which reads black against its red liquid contents. Bottles were hand-dipped in local beeswax (more on this in an upcoming R V N S) to seal the cork. 

Championing Heran, letting it spread its wings, allows us to experience a grape that has a centuries-old history in Bordeaux in a New World incarnation. With aromatics and a flavor profile distinct from Cabernet Sauvignon, we are able to add something truly distinct to the cellar and table.
Aaron has tamed this wine beautifully, rendering its power and depth more supple than one would expect for such a young wine, and coaxing out notes of blackcurrant, cocoa, and tobacco. It will reward patience, developing more complexity and softness, but it can be enjoyed in its exuberant youth. It stands in wonderfully for anything you might pair with Cabernet Sauvignon, but will sing with dishes enhancing the varietal’s floral and anise seed notes.

The 2023s will be released in the spring of 2026. I hope you will enjoy the quiet strength of this majestic wine.