J. Moss Wines’ goal is to produce not just good wines, but great wines from selected appellations in the Napa Valley. Their winemaking style is to produce intense, complex and elegantly balanced wines. The wines reflect the attention to detail of their portfolio, appeal to everyday wine drinkers, connoisseurs and some people call a “cult wine.” In order to ensure that J. Moss wines will always be of the highest quality, they produce limited quantities from single appellation vineyards of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Total production is approximately 250 cases annually with plans to increase production.

Unconventional by Nature - Winemaker Robert Morse

Terroir is everything, but so as they say is location, and sometimes those aren’t the same place. We have chosen to stay at our vineyard, winery and estate tasting room to allow our customers to experience our unigue terroir. Opposed to what might seem apparent by the concentration of valley wineries, the best vineyard sites are not necessarily alongside the pre-existing major thoroughfares.

In the Foothills, we can grow any warm climate varietals but focus on those that perform at their best in granitic soils. Italian and Rhone varietals benefit from our consistently ideal climate. Our vineyard and winery’s location straddles ridgelines above an elevation of 2000 ft, benefitting from cooling afternoon breezes, abundant sunshine and low yielding rocky soils resulting in our unique terroir.

The Il Gioiello, “the jewel,” name comes from the final home of famed astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei. Our 2 Roads brand name was inspired by my favorite Robert Frost poem and Morse is my name and most importantly the name of my parents. All three have inspired a slightly different approach to my choices and my respect for integrity, honesty and hard work.

Our wines and winery reflect these values; unpretentious, no concentrates or additives, just wine grapes and great value wines. In my life, the right wine has always been the wingman of a good meal, not the star of the meal. I recall great meals far better than other pleasures and that is why we make “food wines”.

As the French proverb says, “to have a great meal, one requires great hunger”. Having 17 unique estate varietals and clones allow us to create complexity and balance in our wines difficult to achieve with single varietals.

When asked about my favorite wine, the answer is always the same, “what are we eating”. If I’m having a glass of wine without the benefit of food, our 2 Roads blends Crossroad and La Strada are soft, fruity and complex.

photo - courtesy photographer Randy Caparoso

Allora Vineyards was established in 1999. The proprietors of Allora Vineyards are Terry and Nancy Klein. They manage their winemaking business along with their children, Kelly, Cortney, and Christopher Klein. Presently, 10 acres of grapevines are planted on the Klein's estate. Eight acres are Cabernet Sauvignon vines, and the remaining two acres consist of Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah. Additionally, the vineyard employs a unique planting style in which vines are grown closely together, forcing each plant to produce only a small amount of fruit of the highest quality possible. Allora had its first harvest in the fall of 2002 and has been producing exceptional wine with each new vintage. You can visit Allora but remember that tastings are by appointment only and during the summer you will likely have to book a couple of months in advance.