Greetings!
Benjamin Leachman here, sole proprietor of Forgotten Union Wines.
I entered the wine industry after getting a degree in Biochemistry from Occidental College. After a few years of being assistant winemaker for RH Phillips (pre-Constellation Toasted Head), I went back to get a BS in Vit & Enol and a MS in Hort & Ag from UC Davis. After graduating in 2011 I started working with Philippe Melka at Seavey Vineyard.
I became the Vineyard Manager and Assistant Winemaker in 2012. I left Seavey to take an Associate Winemaker position at Checkerboard Vineyards in 2014.
There I made Martha McClellan & Bob Levyās wines (L&M), alongside Dennis and Stephās estate wines. After harvest I left Checkerboard to start my own wine company, Forgotten Union Wines, out of my house in the historic āUnion Cityā area of North Napa. I returned to UCD a second time to get a Wine Business Certificate from the Graduate School of Management while moonlighting as Director of Viticulture at Walsh Vineyards Management. Oh, did I mention I do international vineyard consulting as well? I know a thing or two about growing and making ultra premium grapes.
My first release was a 2015 Stagsā Leap Cab for which I created the Vidi Vitis label. It was my first Valley Floor fruit fermentation, and it has aged beautifully.
In 2017 I transitioned to Oakville:
Through my contacts at UCD I was able to secure a 4-year contract on fruit from the Old Federal Vineyard (which, for obvious reasons I canāt call āTo-Kalonā). The fruit is unparalleled! The tannins are almost too soft, the fruit almost too bright. Pair that with some really high end oak (Taransaud, Darnajou and a little Gamba here and there) and prepared to be blown away by the results! Iām also a proponent of low sulfur dioxide use. How low? Total SO2ās below 50ppm. We keep things really clean and topped up and havenāt found the need to do constant SO2 additions.
(adapted from Matt Stamp, 2015 The True Story of To-Kalon Vineyard - Matt Stamp - Articles - GuildSomm)
I have a second label focused on Carneros Chardonnay & Pinot, Sheepish, which delights in ripe fruit from this cool region. Sheephishly ripe fruit! I farm the grapes for the Sheepish label at my day job where I can identify blocks with potential and execute when opportunities arise! While my Vidi Vitis label was professionally designned by a neighbor of mine, my Sheepish label was drawn by an undergraduate buddy (he was paid in wine).
My current 2019 Chardonnay is from 30 year old vines of Clone 4 planted to 5C rootstock in the rolling hills just west of the City of Napa. Itās a balanced, crisp wine made with low intervention (no yeast, no MLB, minimum SO2). 50/50 Stainless Steel and French Barrel Fermented. Please expect harmless tartrates in the bottom of the bottle.
The Pinot noir is from a nearby vineyard planted in 2001 to clone 459 (a rare clone, distinguished by dark color, high acidity, and large clusters). I was trained on Napa Cab, so itās a California style, ripe and fruity.
In the works for bottling 2021: Coombsville Merlot, Sonoma Valley Zinfandel, and Rutherford Xinomavro. Keep an eye out for reviews from Spectator!
Iām posting some reviews from Board Members on my wines on offer below:
2017 Vidi Vitis Cabernet:
Please, if you have any further questions, donāt hesitate to ask! My cell is 53O-798-Ol49, or email at benjaminleachman at gmail dot com. https://www.forgottenunionwines.com
Cheers!