It's an attitude that asks what is the end bottle price. Of course, we negotiate and then average the cost based on production and blends to vines. There 's a little land left on the hillsides, maybe 1,000 acres, but that's it. A lot of the existing vineyards need to be replanted to higher quality. Some of the land in Napa, especially in the richer soils by the river that is being planted shouldn't.
Cost is the main factor in buying vineyards in the Napa Valley.
But even if you have the money, there is very little land remaining in the valley that can be planted. But I see some of the land being planted in Napa, like near the river where the soils are too rich, that shouldn't be planted. Beckstoffer believes that to be involved in Napa viticulture, you're either a player or you're not. He says that Sonoma costs would be close, with land costs in Mendocino a little less. Another consideration that has weight in Beckstoffer's decision to buy vineyard land is appellation recognition and as might be expected, he has an interesting take on that topic.