Have you had a wine tasting with a winery’s president and winemaker…and the birds of prey that guard their vineyard? We did when Bouchaine Vineyards in Napa Carneros offered a “falconry in the garden” experience – here in Las Vegas! (You can visit Bouchaine for your falcon experience, details are at the end of this article.)
Chris Kajani, the president and winemaker at Bouchaine brought “one of the winery’s most talked-about experiences — falconry in the garden — to Las Vegas for a special, two-day event…at the SKYLOFTS at MGM Grand…Chris has partnered with Rebecca Rosen of Authentic Abatement since 2016, using hawks, falcons, and owls to naturally protect Bouchaine’s vineyards — and now, she’s bringing the raptors to Vegas.”
This was an experience we weren’t going to miss. While my husband Eddie got up close and personal with the birds (photos are here on my public Facebook page) I sat down to get to know Chris and Bouchaine’s wines a little better.
Bouchaine
I had never had wines from Bouchaine before. I learned from Chris that they have 100 acres with 85 under vine, and an all-female vineyard crew allowing for smaller hands to do the work.
You can see San Francisco’s business district across the Bay from their winery located in the southern border of Napa Valley’s Carneros district – and they have a similar weather pattern making Carneros an ideal area to visit during the summer when the temperatures rarely top 90 degrees. They are ten miles south of downtown Napa with 15 wineries in the area. And even more desirable to some, the new Auberge resort and spa is open there. “It’s much more relaxed than Napa” Chris said.
Current Lineup
2022 Estate Chardonnay benefitted from old vines planted in 1984 and the use of French oak; I loved the 2021 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay – and the very experienced Larry Hyde is somewhat of a mentor for Chris; 2022 Estate Pinot Noir was delicious; 2022 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir was very big and another favorite; 2022 Dijon Clone Pinot Noir had thrived in quartz rock soils and had a very dark color, 2022 Calera Clone Pinot Noir was originally grown in a limestone site, and my all-around favorite was a surprising 2021 Estate Syrah that had been planted in 2017.
The Falcons
So amazing! We knew that wineries built owl houses to tempt these birds to watch over their vineyards, but we didn’t know about the other birds of prey (also known as raptors) that they use as well. These birds are not used to kill smaller birds, rather, they are there to scare off the smaller birds and save the grapes from their peeling and pecking. Falconer Rebecca Rosen of Authentic Abatement comes out daily with her raptors to shoo off the smaller birds. The three they brought to Las Vegas were a large owl and two falcons. And I can tell you, they were very intimidating – yet thrilling – to female wine writers too.
The “Falconry in the Garden” Experience at Bouchaine Vineyards
Join Master Falconer, Rebecca Rosen, of Authentic Abatement for an overview of falconry in the vineyard.
- A personal experience with Rebecca’s raptors – including hawks, owls, and falcons.
- An explanation of how falcons help us during our grape harvest.
- Insights into how raptors hunt, fly, and see.
- Your chance to have your picture taken with falcons!
- Enjoy a glass of wine during the experience.
- Sorry, no dogs (service dogs included). They frighten the birds.
Bouchaine Vineyards
1075 Buchli Station Road
Napa, CA 94559
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
