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ARE YOU READY FOR NAPA VALLEY 2005 WINE BOOT CAMP®? SIR, YES, SIR! REPORT FOR DUTY ON SPRING MOUNTAIN!

Napa Valley, CA Wine Country, June 10, 2005 – WINE BOOT CAMP® challenges recruits to dive into wine by rolling up their sleeves and plunging into winegrowing and winemaking. A 12-hour intense wine-encounter, WINE BOOT CAMP® begins in the vineyard tending vines and ends in the winery blending and bottling.

WINE BOOT CAMP® 2005 will conduct a mission on Spring Mountain exploring the unique aspects of the Spring Mountain District appellation on August 6, 2005. Wine lovers will work hands-on in the vineyards at Smith-Madrone under the guidance of Stuart Smith owner, vineyard manager and general manager of Smith-Madrone Winery . The mission will continue with a fabulous cellar experience at Terra Valentine under the tutelage of Sam Baxter, winemaker & general manager , where recruits will have the opportunity to blend a bottle of wine from the wonderful wines in barrel at Terra Valentine. Wine workshops and tastings of outstanding wines are an integral part of the program.

Conducted by AFFAIRS of the VINE, WINE BOOT CAMP® is a challenge to the senses, awareness, and understanding of fine wines. An intensive, highly enjoyable one-day training program, WINE BOOT CAMP® provides the experience and knowledge needed to become totally confident in the appreciation and enjoyment of fine wine. Business associates and friends will marvel at the leadership of “Camp” graduates as they storm the wine lists of America and the world.

SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT

The Spring Mountain appellation was among the first locations in Napa Valley to receive recognition as a grape growing region but remains one of the least-known and most scenic appellations of the Napa Valley. The Spring Mountain District was officially recognized by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms for the first time in May of 1993.

While grapes may have been grown in the area as early as the Civil War, the first documented planting was in 1874. Steady vineyard plantings followed. In the 1880s, Jacob and Frederick Beringer, who had already opened their historic winery near St. Helena, planted a vineyard on Spring Mountain. Grape growing and winemaking declined in Spring Mountain from 1910 to 1940 due to the onset of phylloxera and Prohibition. The first reawakening of viticulture came in 1946, when Fred and Eleanor McCrea planted a small vineyard north of Mill Creek, and then in 1953 founded a legendary winery called Stony Hill. The resurgence began in earnest in the late 1960s and 1970s—with the founding of several wineries, including Ritchie Creek, Yverdon, Spring Mountain Winery, Smith-Madrone and Robert Keenan. The name Spring Mountain was first used as an origin on Cabernet Sauvignon wines produced by Ritchie Creek in the late 1970s.

SMITH-MADRONE

Smith-Madrone is a family-owned estate-bottled winery dedicated to producing fine wines exclusively from its own vineyards. Smith-Madrone was founded in 1971 with the purchase of 200 acres on top of Spring Mountain west of St. Helena in the northern Napa Valley. The winery enjoys dramatic views of the floor of the Napa Valley and the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the distance, as well as of its own steep dry-farmed vineyards. At elevations between 1,300 and 1,800 feet, the vines flourish in red, rocky volcanic soil. In exploring the property before purchasing it, Stuart Smith discovered old grape stakes interspersed with the forest's tall trees, evidence of a vineyard planted in the 1880s and abandoned with the onset of Prohibition.

The name for the winery came as a tribute to the Smiths who pursued their dream and to the madrone trees which distinguish the property.

The year 1972 marked the beginning of the vineyard itself with the planting of chardonnay (13 acres), riesling (5.5 acres), cabernet sauvignon (13 acres) and pinot noir (grafted to chardonnay in 1989). Unusual for North Coast viticulture at the time, the initial twenty acres were planted on their own roots. These vines were established under difficult conditions, with some slopes angling 25%: today they are lush and healthy. The cooler mountain climate is an additional factor which produces grapes of intense flavor, structure and longevity.

As the estate was developed, traces of its intriguing history emerged. Chinese workers had cleared the land in the mid-nineteenth century and left behind meticulous rock piles, stone walls and underground caves. The remains of a covered wagon sit on an old road running through the ranch: today this road is used only for access by foot between Smith-Madrone and Stony Hill Vineyard to the east.

The winery was built by hand from stones and lumber from the property. A cellar and the main floor house 250 French barrels. The roof of the building, with stunning 360-degree views, is used for entertaining.

Smith-Madrone believes fundamentally in the premise that great wine can only be made from grapes of superb quality. Grapes of this quality are the result of the right site, soil and weather, along with proper management.

Stuart Smith chose specific slopes with different exposures for specific varietals: eastern exposure for the riesling, southern and western exposures across flat stretches for the cabernet sauvignon; the coolest north-facing slopes for the chardonnay. The history of international viticulture also supported his early belief in the potential of these mountain grapes which would have to "struggle" to produce. Drip irrigation was used to establish the vineyard but today it is dry-farmed. The vines send their roots deep to search for water and nutrients, only producing the precise amount of fruit exactly appropriate for their vigor, small berries with a large skin-to-juice ratio.

The winemaking is artisanal, meaning that each wine is treated with a minimal amount of handling and only small lots of each of the three varietals---cabernet sauvignon, riesling and chardonnay---are made. Since the first vintage in 1977, winemaking practices have been a blend of the traditional methods of France and Germany coupled with new techniques developed in California. Such winemaking processes as skin contact, barrel fermentation and sur lie aging require substantial amounts of hand labor but are essential to the production of wines of great quality. Less than 5,000 cases of wine are released each year, similar to Europe's small estate wineries.

Enlist and be part of the mission.

TERRA VALENTINE

Terra Valentine encompasses two wonderful vineyards that capture the best of Spring Mountain District winegrowing. The Wurtele and Yverdon vineyards are distinguished by a diversity of mountain terrain, elevations and vines that are well adapted to the environment. The vineyards are distinguished by a diversity of mountain terrain and vines that are well adapted to the environment. While the mountain sites present challenges—including accessibility, diversity of soils and ripening, and hand labor—they reward the effort in wine filled with intense flavor and color.

The wines that Terra Valentine produces combine mountain intensity and balance that express the character of the appellation and the vineyards, and the passion of the winemaking team.

An experienced vineyard management team closely oversees every aspect of farming from planting to harvest. Jess Madrigal and Bill Pease of Madrigal Vineyard Management, along with Consulting Viticulturist Paul Skinner, lead the team. The team also includes Winemaker and General Manager Sam Baxter and Owner Angus Wurtele. According to Baxter, “The vineyard and how we’re managing it are essential to the quality of the wine. Foremost, I listen to the vineyard and use that as a starting point for everything that follows in the winery.”

Together, the climate and soils of Spring Mountain work in concert to produce distinctive qualities not found in nearby appellations. The diverse soils provide the intensity of mountain viticulture, while the cooler temperature, longer hang-times, and higher pH levels make the wines more accessible.

The winery at Terra Valentine brings together a state-of-the-art fermentation system with the uncovered beauty of an artisan-constructed building that is a colorful and well-hidden treasure of Spring Mountain history. The winery is located on the former Yverdon property at an elevation of about 2,000 feet.

The two-story, 17,000-square-foot winery is made of native stone and poured-in-place concrete, and includes one-of-a-kind design features such as stained glass windows, woodcarvings and cast iron spiral staircases. The building had been long dormant and hidden from public view when Angus Wurtele purchased it in 1999 and reawakened it like a storybook castle. Refurbishments include the restoration of artisan treasures, and the installation of a 21 st-century fermentation system, modern electricity and plumbing.

The name Terra Valentine honors the hillside location and the historical roots of the owner. Terra, the Latin word for “land,” acknowledges the importance of hillside soil in defining mountain wines. Valentine honors owner Angus Wurtele’s father, Valentine Wurtele, and the Valspar Corporation. Angus Wurtele spent his career at Valspar, the roots of which trace back to the Valentine Company, an early American varnish maker that made its reputation manufacturing the varnish for the spars of clipper ships.

The cost of WINE BOOT CAMP® includes all seminars and educational materials, lunch in the vineyard, dinner paired with appropriate wines, extensive wine tasting, a bottle of wine created by the recruit, transportation to all food and wine events, a WINE BOOT CAMP®” cap, and an “I Survived WINE BOOT CAMP®” T-shirt. Enlistment is $395 per person. Raw recruits and wine generals alike may attend WINE BOOT CAMP®. To enlist in WINE BOOT CAMP® contact Major Drady at 707-874-1975 or camp@affairsofthevine.com.

Enlist Today!!!

August 6, 2005 – Napa Valley Wine Boot Camp®: Smith-Madrone & Terra Valentine

For additional information visit www.WineBootCamp.com