Napa Winemaker Dinner in Oakville: Ghost Block Winemaker Rob Larson and Vintner Andy Hoxsey

It's a rare dinner invite indeed - a chance to dine with Rob Lawson, winemaker, and Andy Hoxsey, proprietor (and grower) of Ghost Block Wines.

Hoxsey is a member of the Pelissa Family, the largest organic growers in Napa Valley. The Pelissa family's surviving members (no longer named Pelissa) also own Napa Wine Co., a custom crush facility that's home to 40 indie brands in Napa. This is a family whose Napa roots run four generations deep.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to dine overlooking the very vines the wine comes from at one of Napa's landmark restaurants.

The Ghost Block wines are featured in the forthcoming app Organically Napa: Wine Finder (coming very soon - about to be submitted to App store and then it take 2-3 weeks for them to release it).

Here's the wine listing from the app:

• Aromas: bright floral aromas, including rose petals and tobacco

• Flavors: with dark berry fruits, cocoa and nutmeg followed by black cherries and coffee on the finish

• An insider's wine - sells out early

• Sourced from the historic Rock Cairn vineyard

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REVIEWS

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 91 pts. (2010): "...well-made, impressive Cabernet Sauvignon…"

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WINE SPECS

Cases made: 3,000

Alcohol: 14.5%

Aging: 24 months in French oak (60% new)

Vineyard Certification: Organic

Wine/Label Certification: Ingredients: Organic Grapes

AVA: Oakville AVA

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ABOUT GHOST BLOCK WINERY

Location

• Sources grapes solely from 52 acres of certified organic estate vineyards in the Oakville and Yountville AVAs

• The winery and tasting room are located in Oakville at Napa Wine Co. (next to Oakville Grocery) originally built in 1877

Location for this wine

• The west facing Rock Cairn vineyard in Oakville with 32 acres of highly coveted Cabernet Sauvignon vines

• Named for: the rock cairns first placed by Native Americans to protect against evil spirits; the original cairns still stand there today

• Soils: deep, gravelly loam

Best known for

• Top tier, all organic brand from the descendants of the Pelissa family, Napa's largest orgranic growers, making two highly rated Cabernets (91-93 pts., $60-100)

• Also makes a small lot Sauvignon Blanc (160 cases, $33)

• Known for their deep roots in Napa agriculture, dating back to 1903, the descendants of the Pelissa family recently celebrated their 110th harvest

• The family has 557 acres of certified organic vineyards; they sell 88% of their grapes to local vintners

• Vineyard manager and proprietor Andy Hoxsey was voted 2009 Napa Grower of the Year; in addition, his massive, state of the art compost making operation is the envy of organic growers everywhere

• The extended family's current estate originates from their 1938 post Prohibition purchase of 1,000 acres of land originally home to Napa settler George Yount who planted the first grape vines in Napa in 1838 

• Their other two in house labels include Oakville Winery and Elizabeth Rose, a value brand

• The Pelissa descendants also run Napa Wine Co., a custom crush facility that's home to 40 independent winery brands

Organic vineyard case production

4,000 (out of 4,000 total)

Certified

1995