Naggiar Vineyards (Nevada Country)

Naggiar Vineyards First Vintage: 2003

Owned by: The Naggiars. . .this truly is a family affair with Mike and Diane Naggiar owning the winery and operating it with son Shawn and his wife, Mary; and nephew Tony Tibshirani and his wife, Linda.

Winemaker: Derek Irwin, a U.C. Davis graduate, consultant and formerly with Sonoma’s Viansa.

Tasting Room: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; no charge to taste

Estate: 160 acres, 60 in vines, on-site winery

Events: Available for wine tasting, corporate meetings and private parties. Many events scheduled during the year, including movies in the vineyard and release parties.

Grapes cultivated: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier, Roussane, Marsanne, Cinsault, Malbec, Counoise, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot (vineyard planted in 1998)

Wines produced: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Viognier, Barbera, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Mourvedre, Sangiovese and four blends: La Bete Noire, Mistero, Il Nonno and Le Grand-Pere

Total annual case production: 2,000

Notable features: New, 3,000-square-foot tasting room opened in June 2009, making it the largest, most luxurious facility in the region, and perhaps even the Sierra Foothills AVA. This is also one of the largest estates in the Sierra, and one of the largest vineyards. Spacious tasting and sales room, plus covered patio and private function room with adjacent commercial kitchen. Naggiar is off the beaten path, but the ride out is gorgeous; the property absolutely stunning.

Contact & Visit:

18125 Rosemary Lane
Grass Valley, CA 95949
(530) 268-9059
info@naggiarvineyards.com
www.naggiarvineyards.com

Gary’s Comments:

Naggiar Sunrise One of just two non-Placer County wineries in Carpe Vino’s “Placer & Beyond” tasting room, we invited Naggiar Vineyards to join our project for two reasons: though the winery and vineyards are technically in Nevada County, the estate is just across our border and, in fact, embodies our terrior characteristics more closely than brands at higher elevations; and it produces very nice wines that reflect true varietal qualities.

Following a 32-year career as an executive with Hewlett-Packard, Mike Naggiar had no idea he would be working this hard in retirement. He actively manages the extensive vineyard operation and closely monitors winemaking. Diane handles promotion and marketing for the business and Linda is responsible for administration.

Naggiar fruit is prized by winemakers all over Northern California, including Ray Coursen at Elyse in Napa and Bill Easton at Terre Rouge/Easton Wines in Amador. The winery reserves about 20% of its fruit for the Naggiar label, and all of its wines are 100% estate.

The winery is particularly adept with Rhone varieties, producing a great Viognier and Syrah. It’s Sangiovese is one of the best in the foothills, and a recently released series of upper-tier blends is finding it way on to restaurant lists around the region.

Read About Naggiar in Gary’s Wine Column on page 2.