Our Collectors Series wines are 100% varietal, hand crafted and produced from the best small blocks from internationally renowned Napa Valley growers Hyde and Schweizer Vineyards. These limited production wines, representing the soul of Mira Winery, require longer aging in 100% French Oak Barrels, as well as in bottle, to allow their delicate nuances to fully express themselves.
Schweizer Vineyard, one of the oldest in Napa Valley, has been producing grapes for premier wines for over 100 years and owned by the Schweizer family since 1956. This small 40 acre vineyard in the heart of Stags Leap District, brings together some of the best soils and the perfect microclimate for the growing of Cabernet Sauvignon. Mira’s Schweizer Cabernet perfectly reflects the unique characteristics of Stags Leap and represents the first time the Schweizer family has ever permitted a winery to designate the Schweizer Vineyard on the label. We like to refer to it as the most famous vineyard you’ve never heard of, until now.
Planted to grapes in the 1800s, a renaissance began in the 1960s when Cabernet Sauvignon grapes began to be planted in this area. Not recognized formally as a sub-AVA within the Napa Valley until 1989, the region shot onto the world stage when a Cabernet produced here bested French wines in 1976 during a blind tasting in Paris. The uniqueness of this place was formally recognized when it became the first United States AVA established based on its distinct soil composition. This, the smallest sub-appellation in the Napa Valley, remains a leader in the production of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Recently identified by the Wall Street Journal as one of “the five California vineyards you need to know,” Hyde Vineyard is the superstar of the Los Carneros region of Napa Valley. Larry Hyde began planting in what would become Hyde Vineyard in 1979. Recognizing the ideal conditions of East facing slopes, sun exposure and coastal influence, his experiments with vine row orientation, rootstalk and clonal selection has resulted in a vineyard able to produce some of the finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, while also producing stellar Syrah and other less common Napa Valley varieties. Recognized as “The Wise Man of Carneros” by Wine Spectator, it is no wonder grapes from this vineyard are so strongly sought after and Mira is proud to produce more varietals from Hyde Vineyard than any other producer.
Though the southernmost sub AVA within Napa Valley, Carneros also features some of the coolest temperatures in the valley as a result of its proximity to the San Pablo Bay and the fog cover that arrives nearly every morning, burning off slowly through the day. This climate and the clay dominated soils that prevent deep rooting result in lower yields with more concentrated characteristics.
The McGah Family’s Alsace Vineyard is widely regarded as one of the premier sources of Napa Valley grapes. Located in the Rutherford AVA, the soils from this upper bench are gravelly loam soils, both
red and brown. The vineyard site provides an excellent combination of drainage and heat, coupled with cool evenings, all working together to result in uniform ripening and acidic balance. The site is just north of Oakville and borders the Silverado Trail. At the behest of our winemaker, Gustavo Gonzalez, a small portion of this prized vineyard was replanted to Petit Verdot, the fruit that now produces our extremely limited Collectors Series 2012 Petit Verdot.
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