Nine Suns Houyi Vineyard Red Wine Napa Valley 2018

As an ancient Chinese legend goes, ten Sunbirds ruled the skies long ago. The Sunbirds took turns warming the land below, rising and setting each day. Then, one day, all ten Sunbirds rose together, creating blistering temperatures and endangering the Earth's crops.   To protect Earth, its people, and its farmlands, the emperor called upon the "Lord Archer" Houyi to rid the skies of the Sunbirds. Houyi tried reasoning with the suns, tried intimidating them with his arrows, and took the final step of shooting down the Sunbirds, one by one.  When one remained, the emperor and the sun deity, Xihe, begged Houyi to spare the final Sunbird, knowing humans needed the Sun to thrive.  And so, Houyi saved the last Sunbird, restoring balance and order to Earth.

The myth of Houyi and the Sunbirds speaks to the relationship between humans and nature. The Chang family, owners of Nine Suns Winery and Houyi Vineyard, named their winery and vineyard after the tale to represent a respect for their heritage and the necessary balance between humanity and the natural world. Jason and Flora Chang purchased their 40-acre property high up on Pritchard Hill (1,400 feet elevation) in 2010, intending to sell fruit from the vineyard to Napa winemakers. However, they were so enamored with the site and decided their future lay not only in growing grapes but also in making wine. Nine Suns was born, and the family began making wine, with the first vintage released to the public in 2012.
David Abreu oversees farming for the 22-acre Houyi Vineyard, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Syrah. The soil here is exceptionally rocky, red, and volcanic, forcing the vines to root down deep and producing berries with concentrated flavor and power.  Fruit from Houyi Vineyard is incredibly desirable in Napa, with grapes from this site going into wines vinted by top winemakers such as Sam Kaplan, Russell Bevan, Helen Keplinger, and Benoit Touquette.

Nine Suns looks to none other than Phillipe Melka to craft their beautiful wines, using 100% Estate fruit.  For the 2018 Houyi Vineyard Red Wine, Melka selected a blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), with some Cabernet Franc (23%) and a small splash of Petit Verdot (2%).   This wine is rich and aromatic with blackberry, currant, and baking spice notes.  The tannins are textbook Pritchard Hill, adding weight and length to the finish with flavors of summer savory, earth, and red fruits intermingled. Another remarkable wine from Nine Suns, the 2018 Houyi Vineyard Red Wine, is age-worthy and worth savoring, and we are pleased to share this wine with you.