| Frog's Leap | |
| Location | Rutherford, California, USA |
|---|---|
| Appellation | Rutherford AVA |
| Founded | 1981[1] |
| First vintage | 1981 |
| Key people | John Williams, owner & winemaker Paula Moschetti, winemaker Jonah Beer, general manager |
| Cases/yr | 60,000[2] |
| Known for | Sauvignon Blanc[3] Cabernet Sauvignon[4] |
| Varietals | Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Valdiguié, Riesling |
| Distribution | national |
| Tasting | by appointment |
| Website | www.frogsleap.com |
Frog's Leap Winery is a California wine producer that operates from Rutherford. It was founded in 1981 on a spot along Mills Creek known as Frog Farm.[5] Frog's Leap Winery was established by John Williams and Larry Turley.[6]
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Frog's Leap features organically grown grapes and dry-farmed vineyards.[7] Owner John Williams believes dry-farming results in stronger, healthier vines.[8]
Frog's Leap's production methods express the terroir of their wines,[7] emphasizing subtlety and balance over power and weight.[4]
Frog's Leap engages in other green practices as well. They are one of the first wineries to use solar power to run their entire operation.[9][10][11] The winery also includes the use of compost and cover crops to organically enrich the soil. As well as dry farming to conserve water and reduce soil erosion.[11]
In addition to their accolades for their wines, Frog's Leap is also noted for its humorous approach to winemaking,[1] down to their "Ribbit" corks.[12] The winery got its name by combining "Frog Farm" (where its first wines were made) with "Stag's Leap"[6] (where John Williams had his first winemaking job).[13]
John Williams and Larry Turley formed Frog's Leap in 1981 at the site of the historic Adamson Winery, producing 700 cases of sauvignon blanc.[6] When they started, Turley was a doctor and Williams was a winemaker at Spring Mountain Vineyards.[14] They took the winery into organic farming, and made it the first Napa winery with certified organically grown grapes.[2] They built up the winery in Saint Helena, California[1] together until 1994, when John Williams took Frog's Leap to the Red Barn Ranch in Rutherford, California and Larry Turley established what is now Turley Wine Cellars.[15] In 2004, Sunlight Electric met with Frog's Leap discussing how the winery was spending around $50,000 annually on electricity. On February 9, 2005, the photovolatic system went live over Frog's Leap's leeching fields. With the system's annual output of 260,000 kilowatt-hours (9.4×1011 J), it produces about 85% of the site's energy usage.[11]
Frog's Leap used to make a wine known as "Leapfrögmilch"[6] (a pun on Liebfraumilch), but after an incidence of noble rot in 2006, they replaced it with "Frögbeerenauslese"[7] (a pun on Trockenbeerenauslese). The 2003 Napa Valley Sauvignon blanc is food friendly with its acidity balanced by fruit flavors and aromas.[16] Gayot.com ranked the 2009 Sauvignon blanc as one of the top 10 organic wines.[17] The 2002 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon benefited from a long growing season and is a graceful wine that is not overwhelmed by one component.[16]
Frog's Leap offers guided tours and seated tastings. The seated tasting includes a flight of four wines while overlooking their market gardens and the Mayacamas Mountains. The guided tour is approximately an hour long and offers a look at the unique ways the winery grows their grapes and makes their wine. The tour also offers a tasting of four wines.[18]