The Sangiovese
The Sangiovese portion of our wines for the vintages 1996-1998 was made from grapes purchased in Green Valley (Solano County) grown at Volkhardt Vineyards. This property, located a scant two miles over the Napa County line and ten miles from Grizzly Bay, receives ample daytime heat tempered by cooling afternoon breezes which help extend the maturation and preserve the natural acidity of this rather delicate carietal.

The Barbera
The Barbera grapes are from Dick Martella's Oleta Vineyards in Fiddletown, Amador County. The red clay produces fully-ripened fruit which is intensely colored and flavored, brimming with the essence of mountain blackberries.

The VintageFor the 1999 vintage, Chameleon Cellars has sourced mountain fruit for our Sangiovese from Piccolo Vineyards on Atlas Peak Rd. in the Napa Valley. These low-cropped vines yield an intensely fruity and aromatic wine which will be released in January 2001. Small amounts of Napa Valley Zinfandel, Syrah, and Merlot were also crushed in 1999 and will be bottled as varietals in 2001 as well.