Varietals in Napa You’ve Never Heard Of

Ribolla Gialla and Tocai Friulano with Dan Petroski of Massican Winery

Yesterday’s mission? To meet Dan Petroski in George Vare’s Vineyard off of Dry Creek Road near the city of Napa (Vare was one of the founder’s of Luna Vineyards). The small 6-acre vineyard is now owned by the Bengier family.

A few words on Dan before we talk about his unique wines:

Dan’s day job is head winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards, some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in California that can fetch a few hundred dollars per bottle. He was named San Francisco Chronicle’s Winemaker of the Year in 2017. That could give someone a lot of airs, but what’s so cool about Dan is that he could almost be described as anti-wine culture. He is even working on a monthly Instagram magazine that has nothing to do with wine -- just “what inspires me as a human being” as he says. That is a refreshing “don’t-overthink-it” philosophy in an area so obsessed with wine.

Massican is Dan’s side passion project. Dan’s timing for starting Massican back in 2009 was perfect in that a rare Napa planting of Ribolla Gialla (in the Vare Vineyard) became available and formed part of his first vintage. Fun fact: Matthiasson and Arnot Roberts also buy some Ribolla from this vineyard. Ribolla grows well in this area of Napa, Oak Knoll, since it’s cooler.

Dan’s entire production is four white wines, producing from a number of varietals not often seen in Napa, like Ribolla Gialla and Tocai Friulano. In fact, roughly a third of all of the Ribolla produced in California goes to Massican. Dan also makes a delicious Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay.

33% of the Ribolla Gialla in California is in Dan’s Massican wines.

Ribolla Gialla is an old white variety from northern Italy. Rarely seen elsewhere, these wines are light in body with fruity, floral aromas and bright acidity. Dan says that he wouldn’t create a wine that is 100% Ribolla, so he uses it as a blending grape for his flagship white wine blend called Annia, named after his mother. 

Walking through the vineyard with Dan, we talked about the skills needed to be a great winemaker. He’s a humble guy so there is only one on his list: Palate memory. He kept picking grapes off the vines to taste for sugar content. You can see him recalling his palate from previous years to keep the consistency he strives for. At the same time, he says there is no recipe, and each year will be different based on what mother nature gives you. 

Speaking of mother nature, as we approach harvest, Dan is likely going to pick a week or two earlier this year since it has been so hot in recent months. This 2020 vintage also will only see three wines from Dan, as Covid-19 impacted the production of grapes that typically go into his Gemina.

These wines are incredibly affordable around $30 per bottle, so order a few today and tell Dan your friends at purple cork sent you! https://massican.com/