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Van Der Heyden Vineyards Review

Van Der Heyden Vineyards Review

Address: 4057 Silverado Trail Napa,California 94558.
Phone Number: 707-257-0130
Tasting Hours: 10:00-6:00

Region: Napa Valley AVA, Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA, California
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Review Date: 6/3/2013
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Rating: 4

The Review

This winery is the embodiment of the American dream.

Andre Van der Heyden lived the earliest years of his life in The Netherlands. He recalls being given a taste of really good wine and saying, “This is what I want to do.” By 1984, he was in Napa, bottling his first vintage.

The Place: &nbspIf you’ve gotten used to Napa and Sonoma’s refined, upscale tasting rooms, Van der Heyden will come as quite a surprise. The tasting room is right off the main road, but it looks more like you’re driving onto a family farm – and since the vineyard is family-owned, in a way, you are! You’ll see a farmhouse, an old pickup truck, perhaps a tractor or two, some quirky signage, and finally the tasting room.

The tasting room is literally a converted chicken coop. It’s tiny; it would be difficult to fit more than about eight people in the room, and even at that they’d better be on good terms with one another. The walls are covered with kitschy art and mementos. It is quite the opposite of pretentiousness. And its uniqueness is just kind of fun!

The People:   Andre Van der Heyden was behind the bar when we came in. If the chicken-coop tasting room didn’t already have the personality to give visitors a unique experience, Andre would make up for it. He’s a delightful older gentleman who loves to tell stories about his wine, his experiences, and the people in his life. He has a thick Dutch accent, and he talks pretty fast, but it’s worth listening closely to hear what he has to say.

Coming from a tiny town in The Netherlands, Andre explained that he loves to stand behind the tasting room counter because “the entire world comes through here.” Considering Napa Valley entertains visitors from all over the world, he’s probably right. It’s obvious that he thrives on meeting people and telling his story. One tale he regaled us with involved a childhood neighbor from The Netherlands coming into his tasting room!

The Wines:   Andre said quite firmly that he didn’t come to California to make the same wine everyone else makes. He wanted his wines to be different. He has certainly achieved his goal.

The Chardonnay was unlike any I have ever tasted. I’m a big fan of Chardonnay in general, but this one was just different. It’s light, citrusy, very fruit-forward, and not oaky at all. It was served at room temperature, which apparently is the European style, but I thought if it HAD been chilled, it would have been perfectly fabulous. Andre explained that the uniqueness comes from leaving the skins on the grapes for 24 hours following the crush.

The tasting also included a red table wine, a Bordeaux-style blend that was very smooth. The Estate Merlot was fruity and pleasant.

But the most unique wine, and what Van der Heyden is known for, is the late harvest Cabernet. The grapes are left on the vines as late as December, when a particular mold, Botrytis cinerea, commonly referred to as noble rot, has grown on the vines, and only about 1 out of 10 grapes is usable. They have to be hand-selected, and apparently it doesn’t work out every year; sometimes there is too much or too little mold to achieve the desired result.

As the berries stay on the vines, they gain sweetness, so the late harvest Cabernet is more like a dessert wine or aperitif than a traditional Cabernet. The one we tasted had elements of blackberry and cherry, with hints of chocolate. I enjoyed it; it reminded me of a Port or Madeira. Our friends ordered some to ship home. One year, Andre told us, the cruise ship QE2 bought out their entire stock of late harvest Cab, at $150 a bottle. The most recent release is bottled in a half-bottle and is still pricey but not THAT expensive (the 2004 is $50) but is well worth it if you like dessert wines.

Insider’s Tip: &nbspThe late harvest Semillon is not on the tasting sheet, but it’s worth asking about. Van der Heyden only produces about 90 cases per year. One of my tasting companions described it as tasting like roasted macadamia nuts dipped in caramel or honey.

Overall Experience: &nbspVan der Heyden is definitely worth a visit, for the uniqueness of the place and the wines and to experience the true passion of the winery owner. (There’s also a very laid-back dog named Syrah.) Unlike many of the wineries in the area, it has no pretentiousness whatsoever, but the winemaker obviously takes his craft very seriously. Go, expecting an experience like no other.

After all, where else can you taste wine in a chicken coop?