Lava Cap Winery represents one of several wineries I recently visited during a trip to El Dorado County. The winery focuses on growing grapes in volcanic soil at a high elevation, ultimately expressing the elegance and complexity of character in the Lava Cap Wines. This family-owned winery is situated in Placerville’s El Dorado AVA. This region is known as Apple Hill®/Camino, an area with many apple orchards.
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The Jones and the Vineyards
Berkeley Geology Professor David and his wife, Jean Jones, purchased the property in 1979 and established Lava Cap in 1981. They chose the site for its volcanic soil, hence the winery’s name, Lava Cap, which signifies the topography of this vineyard. The first vintage of wine produced was in 1986. The Sierra Foothills property encompasses 80 acres, of which about 70 acres are planted with 26 varieties of grapes.
Charles and Noreen Jones oversee this family-owned winery. Today, Charles and Noreen’s sons Nolan, Emmett, and Kevin play a significant role in production. Nolan is the winemaker, Emmett and his father are the viticulturists, and Kevin is the marketing director. Their mission is to uphold three generations of family winemaking tradition through sustainable practices that enhance the environment while improving the quality of the wines they produce. For the Jones family, sustainability is a philosophy that permeates every aspect of the winery’s business.
While the grapes grow in volcanic soils shaped by ancient ash flows, they produce wines with intensely aromatic, luscious, deep, rich fruit that bursts with flavor. During the day, the grapes are warmed by sunshine from the Sierra foothills and at night by cool mountain breezes. It is a moderate climate that intensifies the grapes with fresh flavors. The winery’s elevations range from 2400 to 2700 feet, making Lava Cap the highest-elevation winery in Northern California.
Lava Caps and the Miners
When it flows, lava forms tentacles or tunnels on the Earth’s surface. During the gold rush in the mid-1800s, miners looked for those tunnels because they felt gold resided under them.
Lava Cap Winery Sustainability
The winery utilizes water-saving measures, including a drip irrigation system, collecting the rinse water during harvest, and reusing that water on the roads for dust control.
Many blocks in the vineyard are dry-farmed, especially those with deeper soil. The grass between each vineyard row is left short, and there is no disking, which helps retain water and infiltration while preventing erosion.
Lava Cap is one of a few wineries with a weather station. This station tracks climatic information for the growers in El Dorado County. It can predict vineyard areas vulnerable to mildew and thus determine the appropriate time to spray. It also eliminates excess spraying in the vineyard.
The sprays used for pest, mildew, and mealybug control are organic. The cleaners are all-natural, biodegradable, and fragrance-free. Composting and recycling the pumice, skins, and seeds back into the vineyard is part of their conservation plan.
The final aspect of Lava Cap’s sustainable program is the human factor, and having maintained a winery crew for twenty-five years proves that the working environment is very favorable for the employees.
Fish Friendly Certification
Fish-friendly certification began in Napa when vineyards polluted nearby rivers. The premise is that each grower takes responsibility for how they use their land. A vineyard must develop a conservation plan that includes concerted efforts to prevent soil erosion and displacement, preserve water quality, and retain natural wildlife habitats.
Fish Friendly certification addresses grape growers’ concerns about compliance with state and federal environmental regulations, such as the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. It also assists in managing the growers’ lands using environmentally friendly practices. The California Land Stewardship Institute runs the program.
Lava Cap Wines
Typical of many of the wineries in the Sierra Foothills, the wines showcase brightness and fresh flavors from the vineyard’s high elevation.
When I first sampled Lava Cap wines in 2013 and 2014, I was quite impressed with their Petit Sirah. Today, this variety is still remains excellent, but I also discovered other exceptional wines.
On this visit, my favorites were the Vermentino, with its flavors of green apple, and the Merlot, which is produced from 40-year-old vines showcasing hints of clove and cedar. I found a very smooth, balanced wine.
A very popular wine is Cabernet Sauvignon, with its dark fruit and bright finish. Old vine Zinfandel, on the other hand, possesses red fruit and pepper on the finish. I must not forget the Cabernet Franc, which also had a bright finish showcasing red fruit.
Finally, the goal at Lava Cap Winery is to stay true to the location and elevation. I found this trait very common among many of the wineries in El Dorado County, especially those whose passion is passed down through the generations.
Note: As is common in the wine industry, this writer received a hosted wine tasting at Lava Cap Winery. While it has not influenced this review, the writer believes in full disclosure.