Bourassa Vineyard

Bourassa Vineyard is located in south Napa in the same center as Sequin Moreau and Napa Smith Brewery near the Jameson Canyon pass.  Vic Bourassa is the owner and winemaker who was encouraged in his winemaking after a 1999 meeting with Robert Mondavi when they shared some Bourassa Pinot Noir.  Current production is 3,500 cases from grapes that are sourced from Napa vineyards.  Although the building is set in a sort of business or industrial park, it is really quite charming inside, much more so than one would expect in such a location.  You may visit Bourassa without a prior appointment. They offer a Taste of Bourassa tasting of three different wines for $20 with an option of a reserve tasting at $30 and are in the Napa Neighbor Program.

Our tasting began with the Bourassa 2010 Napa Valley Chardonnay with grapes sourced from the Rutherford district.  It sees 50% MLF or malolactic conversion, just enough to help balance it but not to overwhelm it with butter (lactic acid).  It had a nice aroma, with good, well-balanced crispness on the palate and a decent finish.  Although it sees 14 months in French oak, it is not overly oaked.  At $40, it was quite pleasant.

Bourassa is noted mostly for their red wines, and the first of these was their Bourassa 2010 Napa Valley Rhapsody Syrah ($45) which has a small percentage of Zinfandel in it.  I got a rather light nose but good spice, blackberry like fruit and pleasant tannins on the palate with a very nice finish.  This was followed by their flagship wine, the Bourassa 2009 Napa Valley Harmony ($59), a Bordeaux blend.  It had a nice nose with a hint of cinnamon, followed by a full but well-balanced palate of mostly cherry.  Although quite drinkable by itself, it should age well and pair well with steak. Our final tasting was the Bourassa 2007 Symphony 3 from Napa Valley, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon at $69.  This is from grapes in Coombsville, Oak Knoll and Yountville.  After a nice cherry nose, it had good acid, tannin and balance and was very drinkable, being full bodied but smooth.  We liked all three of the reds equally.

We recommend a visit to Bourassa Vineyard which is a small friendly winery that has plenty of parking and is off the usual tourist path.

Bourassa Vineyard 

190 Camino Oruga, Suite 5

Napa, CA 94558

707-254-4922

Date of visit: August 16, 2012