Napa

Napa

Dunn Vineyards

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

In 1978, Randy and Lori acquired a 14-acre parcel in Angwin, which included approximately 5 acres of Cabernet vines. At that time, Randy was employed full-time as a winemaker in Rutherford. During evenings and weekends, Randy, Lori, and their young son Mike cared for the vines. In the same year, Randy also took on the responsibility of farming and purchasing fruit from Harry Frank's adjacent property. The initial harvest from these two vineyards produced 9 tons of fruit. Randy further acquired an additional 3 tons from Beatty Ranch, marking the beginning of Dunn Vineyards.

The pace of development quickly accelerated. Randy, Lori, Mike, and their baby daughter Jennifer moved onto the property that would later become the winery. By 1981, the winery was officially bonded. In 1984, the ATF recognized Howell Mountain as a sub-AVA of Napa Valley. Kristina was born, and Lori was busy managing two young daughters and a teenage son while Randy continued to work in the valley, limiting the family’s involvement in the business to evenings and weekends. Despite these challenges, the business flourished. By 1985, the family moved into a new home, known as the "Brown House," and Randy left his valley job.

By the end of the 1980s, Dunn Vineyards had become a thriving enterprise. Randy was consulting for other wineries and consistently selling out his wine. In 1989, facing a shortage of storage space for barrels, he excavated into the mountain to create additional storage, providing room for more barrels and space for Jenny and Kristina to rollerskate.

In 1999, Mike returned part-time to assist with the business. It took about three years, but he eventually joined full-time. Kristina, having graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in winemaking and viticulture, also joined the team. By 2005, both children were working full-time for Randy, marking a new chapter for the family business.

The elevation of over 1,400 feet offers several advantages, including increased sunshine and more moderate temperatures. However, spring begins later and the area is cooler than the valley floor, with frost posing a risk from bud break through flowering. In 2008, a severe frost with temperatures plummeting to 19 degrees over four days severely impacted half of the crop. Yields average about 2 tons per acre, which is relatively low, but the cool, wet vintages mitigate some of the negative effects typically experienced at lower elevations.

Today, the property is home to approximately 42 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon. This size allows for effective management of all farming and winemaking operations directly by the family.

Ackerman Family Vineyards

Ackerman Family Vineyards Cabernet wine label

You will love Ackerman Family Vineyards if you have a passion for wines that reflect more of a Bordeaux style – smooth, well-structured wines that beautifully complement the food.  These are wines where the micro-climates of the region play a more predominant role in the end result.  Ackerman Family wines reveal deep berry flavors resulting from the perfect balance between soils and fruit. Are you looking to add a unique variation to your Cabernet Sauvignon choices?  This is the place!~

Parrallel Wines

grape clusters in the vineyard - pixabay

Parallel Wines was founded by a close knit group of friends, all extremely passionate in their love of life. The label represents a facet of that passion: this group of friends love of skiing inspired them to create a label which captures the first tracks of the day cut into fresh powder. These friends and their love of fine wine inspired them to collaborate with Philippe Melka to create Parallel Napa Valley. Parallel Wines is the pride and joy of eight friends from Park City, Utah, who tapped into their combined passion of skiing and fine wine and their 30+ years of friendship to create this unique brand.

Etude Wines

wine splashing in the glass - Pixabay

Wine Maker Jon Priest and General Manager, is dedicated to inspired winegrowing. His focus is on cultivating grapes in optimal locations with ideal conditions to produce wines of exceptional world-class character. Through his intentional winemaking approach, he aims to express the intrinsic qualities of each varietal while highlighting their unique characteristics and a distinct sense of place.

In 1982, Etude was established in the cool-climate Carneros region with the aim of producing world-class Pinot Noir. 

Pinot Noir is the most appropriate vehicle with which to study wine growing, precisely because of its demanding nature but also because of its delicacy and transparency. Make no mistake it is a humbling pursuit, but when it’s right, Pinot Noir is a glorious and moving thing. It is in the pursuit of that experience that we all work.

Abreu Vineyards

David Abreu

Abreu Vineyards was founded by David Abreu, a third-generation native of the Napa Valley. David grew up in Rutherford, California in a family with farming interests. Starting at an early age, David worked during the summers at Inglenook and Caymus vineyard. As time passed, David Abreu's interests focused on viticulture and ultimately he began to farm and manage several properties on his own. In 1980 he founded David Abreu Vineyard Management, Inc. That same year he developed the Madrona Ranch vineyard. David produced his first wine in 1986 from the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc at Madrona Ranch. His first commercial release was with the 1987 Abreu Madrona Ranch.~

Quixote Winery

wine pouring into wine glass - Pixabay

Quixote is truly magical with astonishing architecture that is highlighted by vibrant colors and unorthodox design concepts such as no straight lines. In addition to the beautiful, grounds, the fun atmosphere and the charming hostesses, the wine was excellent! 4 stars for the architecture designed by Hundertwasser - colorful and whimsical. Lots of fine details - the wonderful wood floor in the tasting room and by all means do not miss the bathroom with a great tiled shower and tile framed mirror, even the loading dock is artful. This is a must see place. Make an appointment and don't forget your camera.

Villa Mt. Eden

barrel room - Pixabay

Mount Eden Vineyards is a historic wine estate situated at an elevation of 2,000 feet, overlooking Silicon Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountain Appellation, about 50 miles south of San Francisco. Established in 1945, it stands as one of California's original "boutique" winery properties, dedicated to producing small lots of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate's lineage of estate-bottled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is the longest in California.

The vineyards, planted in the austere, infertile Franciscan shale on a cool, exposed mountaintop, yield low but consistently high-quality crops that have produced world-class wines for over half a century. In 2007, Mount Eden expanded its holdings by acquiring a 55-acre wine estate in the Saratoga foothills, which was named Domaine Eden.

In addition to its estate wines, Mount Eden Vineyards also crafts non-estate Chardonnays from California's central coast, with a focus on the Edna Valley. They have achieved notable success with Chardonnay from the Wolff Vineyard, consistently earning recognition for producing exceptional wines from this region.

Merus Wines

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

Sold only on allocation, Merus Cabernet Sauvignon is one of Napa Valley's most sought-after wines. Those fortunate enough to taste it understand why.

Dolce Winery

grape cluster - Pixabay

Napa Valley's Dolce Winery is the only winery in North America that is solely devoted to producing a single, late harvest wine. It is one of the few wineries in the world willing to make such a commitment, sharing a common philosophy with the great Sauternes producers of Bordeaux. Dolce cellar is located within the caves of its sister winery, Far Niente, in California's Napa Valley. Visitors to the winery are welcomed with a hosted tour, followed by a tasting of current and library vintages. By its nature, Dolce is a rare wine that cannot be produced every year. Dolce is made when a natural, beneficial mold called botrytis cinerea attacks the grapes on the vine, while evaporating the water content and concentrating the sugars, acids and flavors. The inaugural 1985 vintage yielded only six barrels, and production grew to nine barrels in 1986. The 1987 vintage was not fine enough to be bottled and 1988 was so warm that no botrytis formed and the grapes were never harvested. The 1989 vintage was the first commercial release of Dolce and it was introduced to the market in 1992. Visits are by appointment, only.

Dolce embraces a deceptively simple philosophy: the pursuit of perfection in the art of late harvest winemaking. Created in 1985 by the partners of Far Niente, its existence is the result of overcoming remarkable adversity and developing expertise that no one else in the U.S. has. Dolce stands as the pinnacle, where Mother Nature and craftsmanship combine to define luxury through a wine capable of flirting with your emotions like no other.

Abiouness Wines

bottle of Abiouness wine

The name I chose, you might have figured out, is my beloved last name (compliments of a Lebanese father). Since it is not one of those easily pronounced names, like Smith, I decided it would be best to have something else on the label to catch the eye. I decided on the lotus flower. A variety of waterlily, the lotus rises in the morning from the muddy waters to open its perfectly symmetrical petals symbolizing the creation of life; purity, resurrection and perfect beauty; the union of bliss and emptiness, night and day, male and female. The closed lotus bud signifies potential.

Pages

Subscribe to Napa