Frog's Leap Winery

Frog's Leap Winery is a California wine producer that operates from Rutherford. It was founded in 1981 on a spot along Mills Creek known as Frog Farm.[5] Frog's Leap Winery was established by John Williams and Larry Turley.[6]

Frog's Leap
LocationRutherford, California, USA
Coordinates38.4737°N 122.401°W / 38.4737; -122.401
AppellationRutherford AVA
Founded1981[1]
First vintage1981
Key peopleJohn Williams, owner & winemaker
Paula Moschetti, winemaker
Jonah Beer, general manager
Cases/yr60,000[2]
Known forSauvignon Blanc[3]
Cabernet Sauvignon[4]
VarietalsSauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Valdiguié, Riesling
Distributionnational
Tastingby appointment
Websitewww.frogsleap.com

In addition to their accolades for their wines, Frog's Leap is also noted for its humorous approach to winemaking,[1] down to their "Ribbit" corks.[7] The winery got its name by combining "Frog Farm" (where its first wines were made) with "Stag's Leap"[6] (where John Williams had his first winemaking job).[8]

History

John Williams and Larry Turley formed Frog's Leap in 1981 at the site of the historic Adamson Winery, producing 700 cases of sauvignon blanc.[6] When they started, Turley was a doctor and Williams was a winemaker at Spring Mountain Vineyard.[9] They took the winery into organic farming, and made it the first Napa winery with certified organically grown grapes.[2] They built up the winery in Saint Helena, California[1] together until 1994, when John Williams took Frog's Leap to the Red Barn Ranch in Rutherford, California and Larry Turley established what is now Turley Wine Cellars.[10] In 2004, Sunlight Electric met with Frog's Leap discussing how the winery was spending around $50,000 annually on electricity. On February 9, 2005, the photovolatic system went live over Frog's Leap's leeching fields. With the system's annual output of 260,000 kilowatt-hours (9.4×1011 J), it produces about 85% of the site's energy usage.[11]

Winemaking

Frog's Leap features organically grown grapes and dry-farmed vineyards.[12] Owner John Williams believes dry-farming results in stronger, healthier vines.[13]

Frog's Leap engages in other green practices as well. They were one of the first wineries to use solar power to run their entire operation.[14][11] The winery also includes the use of compost and cover crops to organically enrich the soil, as well as dry farming to conserve water and reduce soil erosion.[11]

Wines

Frog's Leap used to make a wine known as "Leapfrögmilch"[6] (a pun on Liebfraumilch), but after an incidence of noble rot in 2006, they replaced it with "Frögbeerenauslese"[12] (a pun on Trockenbeerenauslese).

References
  1. Tim Atkin (1991-02-02). "Wine: Time's fun when you're having flies". The Guardian.
  2. Michael V. Russo (2008). Environmental Management. SAGE. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-4129-5849-3.
  3. "Tony Fletcher's iJamming! Featured Wine: Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc". Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  4. Eric Asimov (2008-08-20). "In Napa, some wineries choose the old route". The New York Times. p. F1. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  5. "Frog's Leap Winery". Atlas of Wineries.
  6. David Shaw (2003-01-08). "Organic for a different reason". Los Angeles Times. p. Food 6. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  7. Kevin Zraly (2006). Windows on the World Complete Wine Course. Sterling Publishing Company. p. 257. ISBN 1-4027-3928-1., although the book incorrectly spells it "Ribit"
  8. "Harvest Restaurant - Special Events". Retrieved 2009-07-03.
  9. Terry Robards (1982-07-04). "Frog's Leap: A prince of a wine". The New York Times. p. 34.
  10. L. Pierce Carson (1994-01-24). "Partners leap in new directions". Napa Valley Register.
  11. "Case Study: Frog's Leap Winery, Rutherford, CA". Sunlight Electric. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  12. Clive Platman (2009-05-09). "All in the best possible taste". Birmingham Post. p. 4.
  13. James Conaway (2008-08-27). "The time is ripe for Napa's organic grapes". The Washington Post. p. F5. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
    • Tom Bender (2008-02-27). "Jump to Frog's Leap in Napa". The Modesto Bee. p. E2.
    • Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures (2005). Tax Credits for Electricity Production from Renewable Sources. DIANE Publishing. p. 56. ISBN 1-4223-3419-8.
Frog's Leap vineyards
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