Fine Wines, Fabulous Views and Feathered Friends at Bouchaine

November 15, 2024 – Carneros is a winegrowing region that became known for two things early in the development of California’s 20th century post-prohibition wine history: Pinot Noir and sparkling wine. Today, both can be had at Bouchaine, a 100-acre oasis at the northern tip of San Pablo Bay. 

Bouchaine is a stunning property, with two tasting areas. The Garden ($45 and dog-friendly) is a tranquil spot set amongst fruit trees and floral abundance, and the Terrace ($75, 21 and up only, and no dogs) is a magnificent structure overlooking the vineyards that sprawl to the south and west. A glimpse of San Francisco in the distance beyond the gleam is pretty cool. Both settings have their charms. 

But something else can be had here that sets Bouchaine squarely apart from other Napa winery experiences: raptor demonstrations. Being a fan of their wines already and having met Bouchaine President and Winemaker Chris Kajani at Pebble Beach Food and Wine earlier this year, I was eager to check it out. Besides, I love birds, with views of San Francisco across the bay.

On a brilliant October day, Erik Goodmanson, Bouchaine’s operations director, drove me out to a set of picnic tables on the crest of a hill, in a clearing surrounded by vines, to taste through some of Bouchaine’s finest, as we awaited the arrival of The Birds. The colors of autumn were beginning to turn the hillsides into gold, red and bronze, and the air was perfect for an outdoor adventure. 

We began with the 2023 Vin Gris of Pinot Noir, a delightful way to start off any tasting, radiating pink in the glass and sufficiently weighty that it would complement Thanksgiving meals nicely, with its flavors of rhubarb and tangerine. Also in the holiday-perfect department are the Gewürztraminer (apricot, guava, Earl Grey tea) and the Pinot Gris, done partially in acacia wood. We had just dipped into the 2021 Estate Chardonnay, with its pear and apple abundance, when a spray of dust announced the presence of an approaching vehicle. 

The falconer had arrived with her two-winged arsenal of air power.  

Rebecca Rosen is the proprietor of Authentic Abatement, and trainer of 15 birds who are part of her “Scareum Harem,” as their job is mainly to deter flocks of birds like starlings, cowbirds and blackbirds, from decimating ripening grape crops. Netting 100 acres of grapes is simply not economical by whatever measure you employ.

“We start deploying the falcons to scare off the predatory birds as soon as veraison begins,” says Goodmanson. He met Rosen through his previous job at Robert Sinskey, where they lost an entire block of late harvest Chardonnay grapes to birds. He realized what a great win-win it was to use birds against birds, in the natural pecking order of things, rather than shooting off canons, which can rile the neighbors. The other alternative is to net, which is costly in both natural and human resources. 

Rosen says she uses various types of birds depending on the size and geography of the vineyard. “The smaller younger birds get tired pretty fast,” she says. “So, I bring multiple falcons to give them a break.”

In the case of Bouchaine, though, she’s got Rocky. He’s a handsome, tireless and confident Harris Hawk with 7 years of experience and a fondness for this particular spot. He also has a sense of humor. 

With the accuracy of a missile, Rocky immediately landed on top of a solar panel at the top of the hill where Goodmanson and I had set up shop. 

“Do you want to feed him?” Rosen asked me, handing me the gauntlet and a piece of mouse. Within a second, he was on my wrist, giving me a sidelong look of thanks, as he zipped over to Goodmanson’s black Suburu Outback, with its shiny luggage rack. He sat, waiting patiently for the next mouse treat. After the second morsel of mouse, Rosen then told him he was free to go. “Go, fly!” she said. 

After landing on an end post and seeing nothing of interest, he joined us at the picnic table, eyeing the bottle of Vin Gris with more than casual interest. Walking over to my notebook, he took a quick scan, gave me a look of disgust and flapped off to Goodmanson’s car.  “I can literally leave him here all day and he will make the rounds in the vineyard, scaring off the flocks and letting them know who’s boss. He loves working at Bouchaine!”  

Harris Hawks are desert dwellers, so their feathers do not cover their entire legs like the feathers on eagles or snowy owls. He’s handsome in his black coat and reddish brown knickers, his yellow feet as sporty as a Nike. “We sometimes see Rocky landing on the old truck outside the Garden tasting room,” says Goodmanson. “Sometimes he buzzes Chris’s car.” If ravens are smart, and we know they are, these hawks are PhD students in human and bird of prey psychology.  

Rosen had a few more feathered friends for us to meet, including Yoshi, a 6-month-old sub-species of Peregrine falcon, who was hooded, and quite beautiful. Then it was Hermes, a very young Aplomado falcon. Clearly unnerved by the company, he committed a party foul by landing on Goodmanson’s head, but no harm, no foul. Poor guy. Thereafter, he successfully landed on my wrist and got his reward, which he had a bit of trouble swallowing. Life as a raptor isn’t easy. 

Then we met the star of the show, Hootie Bird, an 8-year-old pigmy owl from the South American rain forest, who is cuter than you can imagine. Everyone loves this gorgeous fancifully feathered favorite, and Rosen actually offers yoga classes with him. Owl yoga is apparently much less strenuous and dangerous than goat yoga. He’s a real hit with the ladies and he loves the attention. 

“He’s a cuddler and loves to sit on my shoulder and watch TV,” says Rosen. Hootie Bird could probably scare any prey bird to death if he wanted to, but he prefers to eat mice. And he’d rather just sit on your hand and purr. Honestly, he was purring while he sat on my wrist: in fact, he began to get quite heavy. For the big air power, Rosen has a prized falcon named Rambo, who can easily handle 100 acres of intimidation without needing a break. She also has falcons that will work as a group. Raptor abatement is such a fascinating line of work. 

If you’re interested in seeing these feathered grape protectors, Bouchaine holds Falconry Demonstrations in the garden every Friday at 10am, for 90 minutes, at $95 per person, which includes a glass of wine, and the chance to get photos taken with falcons. Please note: Friday reservations close at 10:00 am on the prior Thursday. Please, no dogs, including service dogs: it could get primal.

We were also here for the wine, so after Rosen departed with her flock of terror, back we went to the gorgeous Terrace, where we tasted the 2023 Bouchaine Alsatian Bend, made of Pinot Blanc (30%), Pinot Gris (50%), Gewürztraminer (10%) and Riesling (10%), which has to be among my absolute favorite wines of the year. Here, the minerality of the Pinot Gris anchors the gorgeous aromatics, lift and spice of the other three in a sensational wine that has a satisfying middle and a fabulous finish. It’s their first such effort and a solid winner.

Another fave was the 2021 Swan Clone Pinot Noir, exuding aromas and flavors of raspberry and lavender, combined with cedar and nutmeg for a wine of extraordinary finesse. It is done in 20% new French, primarily Orion cooperage with water bent staves. They are also fond of Cadus and Tonnellerie du Monde here at Bouchaine, where they love drilling down on clones. Next up was the earth and spice-driven 2021 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir, tightly wound with bold fruit and spice, and flavors that leaned towards ginger cookies and fig bars. Potent and attention-getting, the wine literally explodes in all directions on your palate. Goodmanson describes Pommard as a “cigar,” because it always stands out and makes a statement. Note: the wine does not smell like cigar! 

Next up was the 2022 Bouchaine Calera Clone Pinot Noir, an aromatic powerhouse with its cedar, tarragon, pine, lavender and rich earth. Its super-unctuous texture flowed over my palate like a river, with an ebullient and energetic middle, leading to a pacific finish of loveliness. This is a wine whose depths you plumb slowly, enjoying every nuance. 

We finished with the 2021 Bouchaine Estate Syrah, a violet-forward wine with aromatics of sage and cracked white pepper, a sensory delight in every way. Perky, spicy and sensational throughout, the finish is meaty with a dollop of rosemary. The wine was aged in 60-gallon casks for 18 months, so the wood is only present in the lovely texture. It’s the kind of Syrah that makes your mouth happy. 

It turns out that Bouchaine’s motto is:  Wine Makes You Happy. And they make nearly two dozen different wines, so you will definitely find something to make you smile.

It’s no wonder their grapes are so popular with birds. 

Bouchaine Vineyards | 1075 Buchli Station Rd. Napa | bouchaine.com