Napa Valley's newest tequila producer, Casa Obsidiana
Napa Valley's newest tequila producer, Casa Obsidiana
By John Dunbar
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — For decades, Napa Valley has been producing many of the best wines in the world. In recent years, however, drink options have expanded to include locally produced craft beer, spirits and even coffee. Today an emerging tequila presence has added more options to the adult-beverage scene.
Several Napa Valley vintners have transferred lessons and techniques learned in fine winemaking to produce premium tequilas that mirror flavor profiles more often described in wine. Those shared teachings include the role of climate, terroir, harvest, fermentation and barrel-aging commonly associated with wine grapes, now being applied to agavants.
The most recent entry is by vintner Jean-Charles Boisset, owner of Raymond Vineyards, who launched Casa Obsidiana Tequila in early December as part of his rebranded Calistoga Depot Distillery.
Boisset owns several wineries and businesses in Napa and Sonoma counties, as well as his home region of Burgundy, France. Partnering in this venture are brothers Jorge and Roberto Beckmann Gonzalez, owners of an estate in Jalisco, Mexico, who grow premier blue Weber agave plants, and master tequilero Francisco Quijano, who skillfully produces the small batches of blanco, reposado and añejo tequilas.
“We created Casa Obsidiana to celebrate family, friendship and to honor the contemporary culture of Mexico,” Boisset told the launch party audience. “We did not do this for today, we did not do this for us alone. We did this for our children and their children and theirs beyond. Casa Obsidiana is a testament to the elements, to passion, to craftsmanship, to culture.”
“Grown at the base of El Volcan de Tequila, premier blue Weber agave plants provide the perfect foundation for our tequila, combined with a sacred mother yeast, passed down through generations, imparting a timeless taste. Each style is aged in fine-grained, handmade French oak casks that once housed premium chardonnay wines, imparting richness and a lush mouthfeel with a dense collection of warm baking spices and the refined elegance of vanilla and butterscotch,” Boisset described.
Making only 27,000 bottles total designates the project as boutique, according to Quijano, one of only seven master tequila distillers in the world. Using winemaking practices enhances and elevates tequila’s natural flavor profiles, he said.
“In this French oak, we have plenty of wood, lots of wood — walnuts, almonds, cocoa, chocolate, vanilla — all those tannins coming from the wood. We call that extraction. The original tequila profile from the plant is basically gone, so this is a dark spirit for connoisseurs, for sipping neat,” Quijano said, describing the premium añejo.
Napa resident Eduardo Dingler, a global sake ambassador, wine judge and sommelier, was impressed with the newest player in the premium tequila market.
“Casa Obsidiana captures the elegance and charisma of the region in which this agave is grown, combined with the ex-wine barrels, unique yeast selection and let's not forget the exceptional packaging,” Dingler said. “Flavor, texture and finish are all in balance. The lineup captures a range of styles from a vibrant and spicy blanco to the rich and expressive añejo, with cocoa spice and cinnamon notes.”
“The recent tequila boom has hit the Napa Valley with numerous wine professionals getting into the party. Examples are vast and full of quality,” according to Dingler. “Agave spirits have taken the globe by storm with a wide appeal. It is not uncommon these days to see celebrities from all realms endorsing tequila brands with great success, in part adding to the momentum of the category and also a sign of a healthy business.”
“Tequila is a drink to enjoy and experience,” said Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza, a self-proclaimed premium tequila aficionado. “The process has become more romantic and specialized, drawing many similarities to wine. It’s artistic, creative and offers various styles like reposado to añejo.”
Other Napa Valley-linked tequila producers:
Penta Tequila was founded in 2015 by wine producers Steve Reynolds, Mark Davidowski, Shawn Guttersen, Ron Davidowski and Sean Thomas. Penta was named after the co-founders, as well as the five Mexican states where the brand’s blue Weber agave plants are grown: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit and Tamaulipas.
In 2019, Loco Tequila initially was launched in the El Arenal region of Jalisco, Mexico, using traditions and a history that credits the region as the original birthplace of tequila production. Co-founded by Gabriel Roqueni and Pedro Padilla, the brand was brought to Napa Valley by Juan-Pablo Torres-Padilla, managing partner of Loco Tequila in the United States and owner of Sullivan Rutherford Estate winery.
In 2023 the partnership of Adam Craun, co-owner of Memento Mori winery in Calistoga, entrepreneur Nicholas Lutz, and master distiller Salvador Rosales Trejo created El Negocio Tequila. Sourcing from the Jalisco lowlands, the blue Weber agave grows in mineral-rich volcanic soil, resulting in more concentration of flavor.
Traditionally agave plants were harvested, cut in half and either roasted or steamed with the skin still attached. The skin of agave has a bitterness, and its fibers produce methanol during fermentation. That led to a longer distillation needed to extract undesired alcohols. A side effect of that process was the loss of agave’s natural flavors and aromas.
John Dunbar is former mayor of Yountville, and he served on the Yountville Town Council for 18 years.