Friday Encore: Bouchaine’s Art of the Blend — Wine, Olives and Falcons
By Anne Ward Ernst
Quick Take: Bouchaine Vineyards integrates wine, olive oil and falconry as part of a broader approach to sustainable agriculture. The estate’s oil, made from five Tuscan olive varietals, is blended annually to reflect the growing season, much like wine. Trained raptors serve as natural pest control, reinforcing the vineyard’s philosophy of working with nature, not against it.
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — Just over the ridge from Bouchaine Vineyards, more than 3,000 olive trees grow in quiet rows. Invisible from the road, they’ve become increasingly central to the winery’s offerings. The trees belong to the Copeland Olive Hill Estates, a separate property owned by Bouchaine founders Tatiana and Gerret Copeland. While the two estates operate independently, their products come together often — in tasting flights, private events and food pairings where wine and oil are treated as equal parts of a shared landscape.
At a recent luncheon, Chef Jesse McQuarrie of Bay City Catering created a three-course menu that paired Bouchaine’s wines with dishes built around the estate olive oil: halibut schnitzel with olive oil remoulade and Dungeness crab served with the 2022 Estate Chardonnay; Zabuton steak poached in olive oil, paired with two 2022 pinot noirs — Calera and Pommard clones; and a red wine, cardamom and olive oil cake with olive oil gelato, matched to the 2023 Bouche d’Or Late Harvest Chardonnay.
From Table to Grove
The olive trees were planted more than 20 years ago, with the first viable harvest arriving in 2006. According to Erin O’Brien, Olive Hill’s director of operations, the estate grows “technically six varieties of olives,” though five are the focus of oil production. Harvest typically takes place about two months after the wine grapes are brought in, and all olive colors and ripeness levels are included to “provide a balance of flavors.”
O’Brien, a winemaker who’s worked at Taft Street, VML, Rack & Riddle and Joel Gott Wines, said terroir affects oil just as it does wine — and that volume, timing and blend composition can shift from year to year. Orchard manager Modesto Pimentel oversees the trees and the timing of the harvest.
Building the Blend
This year’s blend includes five primary olive varietals, each contributing a specific percentage to the final oil:
Frantoio (40% of the grove): A high-yield, late-ripening Tuscan olive that “imparts very fruity characteristics hinting at almond, green grass and a peppery finish.”
Pendolino (25%): Early ripening with “softer fruit flavors that lean into banana, floral and herbal notes, young grass and ginger undertones.”
Leccino (15%): Described as “smooth and balanced with no bitterness,” offering “hints of sweet almond, green apple, vanilla and a delicate pepper.”
Moraiolo (10%): Brings intensity, described as “both bitter and spicy with dark fruit notes” and additional flavors of “artichoke, mint, sage and basil.”
Coratina (10%): Sharp and fragrant, with flavors of “green tomatoes, green tea and nettle” and a “strong, sweet aroma” that includes “cinnamon and green tea.”
The resulting oil is blended each year, reflecting both the growing season and the aim to create balance rather than consistency. In that sense, it’s more like wine than most commercially available oils — more expressive, more seasonal and harder to replicate.
Balance Beyond the Bottle
That blending philosophy — balancing strength with nuance, fruit with structure — doesn’t end with the olive oil. It’s part of a broader approach to farming at Bouchaine, where ecological balance is central to how the vineyard is managed. That includes how the team handles pests — not with chemicals, but with birds.
“We primarily work with vineyards from veraison to harvest,” said Rebecca Rosen, a master falconer with Authentic Abatement, which brings raptors to Bouchaine each Friday during the growing season.
Rosen’s hawks, owls and falcons are part of a larger ecosystem of pest management.
“While it might seem counterintuitive, birds in a vineyard are actually beneficial as they help remove harmful insects,” she said. “We only disrupt this natural process when absolutely necessary to prevent economic losses.”
Predator birds — both wild and trained — are a key part of Bouchaine’s sustainability program, which includes Napa Green and Fish Friendly Farming certifications. Bluebirds help with insects. Falcons, owls and eagles handle rodents and smaller birds. As Nancy Lang of Safari West put it: “Predator birds are eating machines.”
From soil to sky, Bouchaine’s farming practices are designed to work with nature, not against it. Cover crops such as vetch, clover and barley enrich the soil, while trained falcons help protect the first fruit from rodents and birds. Visitors to the tasting room at 1075 Buchli Station Road can explore these efforts through garden tastings, chef-led food pairings and seasonal dog hikes — experiences that often feature both the estate olive oil and wines. On certain days, guests might find themselves with a glass in hand, tasting the oil, sipping chardonnay, and watching the quiet choreography of a falcon and handler working the vineyard together.
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Anne Ernst is a journalist who covers the Napa Valley.
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