The Vineyards

With a commitment to exceptional handcrafted wines and to the beautiful environment in which they are grown, our attention to detail began in 1998 with the development of our mountainside Cabernet Vineyard. In the eastern Napa Valley mountains the shallow shattered sandstone soils, cool evening breezes and excellent sun exposure are ideal for a low yield of small, intense Cabernet berries. It is there that our vineyard grows.

With twenty-six years experience as a vineyardist in the Napa Valley, Tom knows that exceptional wine begins with exceptional fruit. To that end, only state of the art viticultural practices have been utilized from the inception to the present. After deciding to plant 20 acres of the 117-acre parcel a three-phase vineyard development plan took shape. First from 1989 to 1990 the land was cleared, the irrigation reservoir built and the terraces cut. Then the initial vines were planted in 1990 with the balance planted in 1992.

Three different rootstocks were used and then budded or grafted with clone 7, a clone known to produce some of the most exceptional fruit in the Napa Valley. A drip irrigation system was installed as well as a vertical catch wire system. This system, though labor intensive, allows the trellis wire to be adjusted as the vine grows thus optimizing sun exposure.

Tom decided to double plant the terraces utilizing both the inside and outside contours. This close planting of 20,562 vines coupled with shallow soils provokes the vines to struggle. Consequently, the vineyard produces just two and a half tons to the acre of very complex concentrated fruit.

Our vineyard has been farmed with a sensitivity to its soil and surroundings through the use of sustainable agricultural and low impact viticulture practices. This includes a permanent cover crop to house beneficial insects and control erosion, owl and hawk boxes to attract rodent predators and groves of French prunes where the Anagras Wasp, enemy to leaf hoppers, can live. In addition, all wildlife corridors have been protected by strategic placement of our deer fence.

The vineyard has become a place to enjoy peace, family and friends. From season to season it feeds our soul as we practice the age-old art of wine growing. We look forward to sharing the fruits of our labor with you.

The Vineyards | The Vineyard Team