The Ca'Momi Estate
When Dario de Conti, Valentina Guolo-Migotto and Stefano Migotto came to America, they wanted to make wine in Napa Valley, while capturing the spirit of their Italian heritage. They take great pride in selecting premium sources of their wine grapes with the majority of the fruit coming from Napa Valley and the rest from other carefully selected areas of California.
Napa Valley is renowned for its Cabernet Sauvignon, and also applauded for producing elegant Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc. In addition to Ca’ Momi’s wide variety of red and white still wines, they produce Ca’ Secco, the first ever Prosecco-style sparkling wine made in California.
The house in the watercolor painting on our label (see image at right) really is Ca' Momi, our house in Veneto Italy.
We named the house in honor of Momi dea Bionda, a local character who was famous for his obsession with the house, his grapes and his wine. We liked the idea of keeping the memory of him alive. Momi was a memorable character. In his later years, he would ride around the property on an old Moto Guzzi motorcycle withthat had a sidecar attached. Across his lap he carried a rifle, to scare away those hoping to steal a taste of his grapes, and in the sidecar rode his best friend Lidia, a faithful dog who continued to ride in the sidecar even after she went blind. Some of the locals say that he haunts our home. We prefer to think that his ghost is just keeping an eye on things. His dog, too. We love the idea that Momi still watches over our home and its vineyard. In fact, we think we have seen him quite a few times.
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It is hard to imagine with the Lithology range receiving 298 points out of 300 for the three single-vineyard wines, that there could possibly be a wine above them. But there is, and it is our Estate wine. Blended several times very intently by masters of their craft Philippe Melka and Michel Rolland, this is the ultimate expression of our house’s work. Positive, full-bodied, and quite powerful, there’s the expected crème de cassis and blackberry from St. Helena Cabernets, with mineral, herb, subtle tobacco and vanilla, plum skins, and pie crust, purple flowers, forest-conifer notes, and very fine tannic structure. It is a magnificent, and magnificently elegant expression of this house, and when asked recently, Monsieur Rolland stated plainly to me, “oh yes indeed – this is the best one, the best yet…”
Review:
The flagship 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Alejandro Bulgheroni comes from a selection made by winemakers Philippe Melka and Michel Rolland, mostly from Rutherford and Oakville fruit. Aged 20 months in 78% new French oak, it has incredible aromatics of black and blue fruits, spring flowers, and graphite to go with a massive, full-bodied, concentrated style on the palate that somehow stays graceful, weightless, and elegant. This tour de force in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is guaranteed to put a smile on your face over the coming 20-25+ years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points
Grand Veneur Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Le Miocene is made from 60% Clairette, 40% Roussanne
Pale yellow colour with hints of green, aromas of white flowers (may blossom, honeysuckle).
The palate is pleasantly balanced between liveliness and roundness, which brings out characteristics of dried apricot, honey and elderberry. A Châteauneuf du Pape white displaying a great finesse.
Best between 1 and 8 years.
Soil type Coming from the single vineyard named “La Fontaine”, the plot is facing north.It is made of clay-sand and limestone. Thanks to the northern orientation, it is always very well aired. This sector allow the Roussane and Clairette to mature in great conditions without losing freshness, which we believe is key point. Winemaking & ageing Whole-bunch pressing. Vinification in stainless-steel tanks. Fermentation temperature controlled at 15°C.
Review:
"The 2023 Châteauneuf du Pape Le Miocene Blanc is mostly Clairette but includes 40% Roussanne. Its vivid gold hue is followed by a beautiful perfume of stone fruits, grilled peach, minty flowers, and some spicy nuances. It's balanced and medium to full-bodied, with a kiss of background oak and flawless balance. It's a brilliant white from this talented family that readers will love to drink over the coming 4-6 years, if not upwards of a decade."
- Jeb Dunnuck (Importer Highlight: Fran Kysela ; July 2024), 93 pts