Winemaker’s Tasting Notes
The 2018 Stagecoach is an uninhibited blockbuster, offering up a saturated inky black-purple color and a relentless river of powerful, layered fruit. This voluptuously heady wine delivers a decadent array of fruit aromas with crème-de-cassis, blackberry pie, graphite, black licorice, tobacco leaf, and crushed rocks. Underlying are savory notes of chocolate, soy, black cardamom, violets, and chaparral brush. Flavors are seamless, but vividly expressive showcasing the avalanche of brooding mountain fruit. Tannins are velvety and abundant but discreetly concealed by the wine’s extract and plushness. Drinks deliciously now and over the next 15 plus years!
About Mark Herold Wines
On the fringe of Atlas Peak, bordering the Oakville AVA our block in Stagecoach Vineyard was planted in 2008 to Mark’s exact specifications. One of the highest planted elevations in Stagecoach, this block was difficult to access by vehicle and required many months of dynamiting in preparation for planting.
The sparse soils are the deepest of red and are riddled with volcanic basalt and rocks of all sizes. The block is steeply situated and surrounded by chaparral. Mark selected his favorite ENTAVE clone 169 which produces small berried clusters full of concentrated flavors with a strong sense of terroir.
For those that know him, Mark Herold is a larger than life, exuberant person who lives with gusto and possesses a depth of interest and lust for life that is contagious to those around him. His wines embody that same spirit! Mark Herold’s first personal wine project, Merus, was a labor of love. For many years this wine was made in his home garage in downtown Napa and focused on premium Cabernet Sauvignon. Eventually his luxury brand was sold and because of a non-compete agreement, Mark was unable to make a Cabernet under his name for a period of time. This did not deter Mark from embarking on a new adventure of producing non-Cabernet wines. His inspiration came from the great wines of France and Spain which influenced his palate and his personal wine collection over the years. Mark ventured to the pioneering grape growing regions of Lodi, Mendocino and Lake County even going so far as to bring budwood from Pingus in Ribera del Duero and planting that Tempranillo here in California. Mark’s quest was to produce incredible blended wines that possess amazing character; wines that would please the everyday Cabernet drinker. Never venturing far from his first muse, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mark began making Cab again in 2010 and this continues to be the focus of his portfolio. Immediately out of the gate, the wines garnered amazing press. Having maintained his vineyard relationships from the Merus days, Mark quickly went to work with top quality growers in Coombsville, Atlas Peak and Oakville. Herold Cabernets express the terroir and character of their appellations and their vineyard sites. In 2018, Mark and his wife, Gianna, redesigned their downtown tasting room with a focus on Herold Cabernets. “We wanted to create a tasting environment that reflected our personality—eclectic, modern and approachable, with a few twists of the unexpected. People visit Wine Country to enjoy world-class wine and fabulous hospitality. We wanted to offer those things at a very high level, but also in a space that was comfortable for all guests, from first time visitors to seasoned collectors.” Through the portfolio of Mark Herold Wines, one can experience a full throttle journey of amazing Napa Valley wines made with passion, precision and balance.
