First Yountville-Labeled Wine Released by Cosentino

Dana Nigro
Posted: May 1, 1999

Cosentino Winery in Napa Valley will release the first wine bearing the new Yountville appellation on May 18. The Cosentino Gewurztraminer Napa Valley Yountville Estate 1998 comes entirely from a plot of 26-year-old vines in California's most recently created American Viticultural Area.

Cosentino makes small lots of a variety of wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Meritage, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. Its Gewurztraminer is produced in the dry Alsace style and is 100 percent barrel-fermented in French and German oak. Only 110 cases of the Gewurztraminer were made. The wine, which will retail for $22, is to be sold primarily through the winery's tasting room.

Yountville was heavily planted to Gewurztraminer in the 1970s, but most of the vines have since been replaced with more popular varieties. Winemaker and winery founder Mitch Cosentino said, "It's somewhat ceremonial that the first wine coming from the new appellation is the grape that was so influential to Yountville's growth as a grape-growing region."

The Yountville appellation, located entirely in Napa Valley, is surrounded by the Oakville AVA to the north, the Stags Leap District to the east and Mount Veeder to the west. To the south is a pending appellation, Oak Knoll District.

For recent ratings of Cosentino wines, check the Wine Search.

For more on Yountville:

March 26, 1999
Yountville Added to List of Napa Valley Appellations

For more on Cosentino:

June 15, 1994
Unfiltered Wines Gain Favor in California