VIADER
VINEYARDS & WINERY

Extraordinarily  rich,deep, complex and concentrated, yet remarkably elegant and graceful, this deft red blend reveals layers of exotic spice, black cherry, currant, coffee, tobacco and cedary notes ending in a long, complex aftertaste.  Best from 2002 through 2008. 3,500 cases

Every year, the Wine Spectator Top 100 honors those wines that represent an irresistible  combination of quality, value and availability. Last year's list contained an embarrassment of red wine riches, with producers around the world releasing a plethora of spectacular offerings, mostly from the 1997 and 1998 vintages.

The  final California Cabernet tasted, the Viader Napa Valley 1997 (97, $60) was No. 2 of the top 10. Winery owner Delia Viader  planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes on her Howell Mountain property in 1986, producing her first wine three years later. Cabernet Franc, which contributes enticing aromatics and silkiness, Viader says,  forms a large portion of the blend. Viader noted that her planting technique—up and down the steep slope, rather than across initially provoked controversy, but that the proof has been in the pudding. "Even in odd years,  we can deliver what's best for that vintage," she said. Sanderson agreed  with that appraisal, adding that Viader has established itself over the last decade as one of Napa's finest Cabernet makers.

The wines from this superbly situated hillside vineyard on the lower slopes of Howell Mountain are going from strength to strength. Proprietor Delia Viader believes in blending these wines with a relatively high percentage of Cabernet Franc. In most Vintages, the proportion of Cabernet Franc is close to 50%, with the balance Cabernet Sauvignon."
                                                                                                 Robert Parker THE WINE ADVOCATE

There's only one Delia Viader, proprietor of a true one-woman operation. Viader Vineyards is one of the most dramatic vineyards in California, perched on a 30-degree slope overlooking Napa Valley. Her company is known for superb wines, which Viader makes, that have been compared to those of Chateau Cheval Blanc . She is also the mother of four children, ages 4 to 19.

She may drive a tractor, but unlike most winemakers, she speaks six language, has a French Ph.D. —in philosophy even, a master's in business from MIT's famed Sloan School she has also been toasted by President Bill Clinton as a woman entrepreneur.

Viader is disarmingly charming, pouring her excellent wines even while admitting she exploits her position as a woman to further her business. "If the distributors or wine writers want to take me to dinner, why should I offend them by refusing," she jokes.

Viader comes by the attitude naturally. Born to a diplomat in Argentina, she was raised largely in France. While attending the University of California at Berkeley, she fell in love with California, and decided to stay. Fortunately, her father had bought 18 acres in Napa Valley with the intention of building a house. Delia appropriated the land, began taking classes and planted an impossibly steep vineyard.

Unlike most California premium winemakers, she makes her proprietary wine, called simply Viader, of about half Cabernet Franc, like her idol Cheval Blanc. She travels to Europe often, not only because she likes to, but, she says, "Because it keeps me honest and humble." The wine is very popular in Switzerland, Belgium and Germany.
As for France, "You know the French," she says.

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