The Vineyards

What makes a great vineyard? The traditional train of thought was the age of the vines. We've learned that it's much more involved. Very young, well-located vineyards with carefully selected clones and rootstocks are now consistently producing top quality fruit throughout the valley. Our ongoing search for great vineyards in the Napa Valley has produced several sources of consistently excellent grapes.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - three vineyard sources were blended flawlessly to make this exceptional wine.

Stanton Vineyards (55%) - the terroir consists of gravelly, sandy clay and loam soils that produce grapes of rich suppleness and texture.  Located in the Oakville AVA, on the eastern side of St. Helena Hwy (Rt. 29), the mornings are cool and foggy, but give way to warm, dry afternoons.
Garvey Vineyards (30%) - Because it is less affected by wind and fog, Rutherford is a bit warmer than Oakville.  Well drained, gravelly loam soils give this vineyard lush, concentrated fruit.  The warmer temperatures dry and heat the soil, leading to riper grapes with more developed tannins.  Evenings typically cool substantially, and spring mornings can be chilly.
Hossfeld Vineyards (15%) - This is a unique piece of volcanic rock on the hills just behind Stags Leap.  Twenty years ago people thought Hossfeld was crazy because of the slope and the solid rock he was trying to grow vines on.  At planting, each vine hole was fractured into the terraces with a stick of dynamite.  Today, we reap wines with massive fruit extraction, inky black color, and powerful tannins. 

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon - winemaker Jeff Fontanella secured grapes from the Hoopes Vineyards and Batuello Vineyards.

Hoopes Vineyard (50%) - Cooling wind and fog that rolls in during the afternoon greatly influences the fine balance achieved in these grapes.  Terroir consists of gravelly, well drained soils.  Located in the Oakville AVA, on the valley floor, and eastern side of St. Helena Hwy (Route 29).
Batuello Vineyards (50%) - Up-Valley area where cool Pacific breezes from the north reach St. Helena earlier, cooling vines quickly and delivering graceful, intense fruit with concentration and depth.  Located in the St. Helena AVA, off Ehlers Lane (north of Ehler's Estate), east side of Route 29.

2009 Chardonnay - grapes for this wine hailed from Henry Ranch Vineyards in the Carneros Appellation.  Henry Ranch is located along the banks of Carneros Creek, where soils are clay loam, and cool air and fog from San Pablo Bay remain longer during the day.  With an elevation of about 400', the moderation in temperature during the warmer months provides great conditions for growing Chardonnay with crisp acidity.   

Estate Vineyards

Though we aren’t bottling wines with our fruit yet, our desire to harvest estate grown grapes was fulfilled in 2009!  The vineyards were planted in 2008 on about 4 acres of land at our St. Helena estate. The majority of the vineyard will be on land with a 5 to 15% slope, and none of the new vineyard will be on land with greater than 30% slopes. Our vineyards are all organic, and we just recently received our CCOF certification!

Watch our progress...

 
Photographed March 2008

Photographed April 2008



Photographed November 2008

Photographed June 2009

Photographed July 2009 by winery friend Lisa Brown

OUR FIRST HARVEST! 

Photographed October 10, 2009

Photographed October 10, 2009