Stopped by in the Fall to do a little tasting on our way up to the hot springs. I first went to this winery about 13 years ago and was a member for years. They have excellent red wines and fun harvest parties - complete with grape stomping! It's a quaint winery away from the crowds in Napa and couple of my favorites were the 2003 Cabernet Bosche and Zinfandel.
In 2002, two generations of our family - both winemakers by trade - came together to create BAXTER, highlighting the very best in North Coast viticulture. Father & son partners, Phil L Baxter and Phil T G Baxter, produce handcrafted single vineyard wines focusing on the Anderson Valley and surrounding Mendocino appellations. Known primarily for their Pinot Noir.
The Spence family's journey on Howell Mountain began in 1994 when Allen and Jacalyn Spence purchased a small piece of land situated at 1,900 feet. Initially, the property was intended to serve as a peaceful retreat from the fog and hustle of San Francisco. However, over time, Allen and Jacalyn realized that this mountain paradise would become much more than just a "weekend getaway."
After becoming full-time residents of Howell Mountain in 1996, Allen and Jacalyn dedicated years to restoring the neglected property. They pruned back the overgrown, 40-year-old table grape vineyard and renovated the orchard, ultimately reviving more than 50 fruit trees.
With the support of their new Howell Mountain neighbors, the Spences quickly became part of a vibrant community of winemakers, wine enthusiasts, and friends. This newfound passion culminated in 1998 at the "Taste of Howell Mountain" auction. Eager to try their hand at winemaking, Allen and Jacalyn placed a bid on a "home winemaker's kit." Their winning bid, which unexpectedly included 2,000 pounds of Howell Mountain Cabernet, marked the beginning of their winemaking journey.
Peacock Family Vineyard is a 6.2 acre hillside Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in the Spring Mountain District of Napa Valley just west of the town of St. Helena. This is a dramatically sited mountain vineyard at an elevation of 1,000 feet. The terraced vineyard rows are configured south by southeast at slopes of up to 10%. The vineyard was planted in 1989 on Freedom rootstalk with Clone 7 Cabernet Sauvignon at a density of 950 vines per acre. The vines are cane pruned and trellised with three wires in the vertical shoot. The crop is limited to less than 5.5 pounds per plant, with the vineyard averaging 15 tons per year.
We tasted three pinot's a syrah and two cabs. The three pinot's were from the same vineyard in Sonoma but from three different blocks. Three distinctly different wines. All very Burgundian in crafting but with that amazing Sonoma Coast fruit. My favorite style...French winemaking but with CA fruit! The Syrah was amazing. Once again, very French. Northern Rhone in crafting but with Bennet Valley fruit. The Cabs...well, they were quite simply amazing. Two totally different wines from two different AVA's.
Crafted from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon grown in a unique microclimate in Napa’s Rutherford Bench, this fine red wine possesses great depth of flavor and a richness that could be matched only by a great amarone. Smoke scents and flavors of dark plum, bitter chocolate, and dried herbs dominate the latest release of this ultrarich wine.
PROMISE has, and always will, represent promising yourself to pursue your passions and setting the intention to live a life well-lived; Facing your fears and challenges while finding gratitude, joy and love everyday – especially during the tough times. It’s about remembering the simplest things in life are the only ones that matter: sharing moments with the ones you love and who love you – with a great bottle of wine of course!
It has been a wonderful ride thus far. On behalf of everyone in the PROMISE Family, we are deeply grateful to all those who have helped us on the journey. We feel like we are just getting started.
David Arthur is located on the mountain with absolutely breath taking views of the valley floor. On our day it was quite pretty but extremely windy. I enjoyed having a private tour as its more intimate and you really get to know the whole story. We tried 5 different wines finishing with their Elevation. Along the way we were able to do some barrel tastings which was very exciting and interesting to learn about the process David uses. I will surely make a return trip up the hill very soon.
The MACAULEY VINEYARD label was established in St. Helena in the early 1980s by Ann Macauley Watson, who, with the assistance of renowned winemaker Ric Forman, produced a highly regarded late harvest Sauvignon Blanc for several years.
In late summer of 2000, Ann's son Mac began working at Rudd Estate in Oakville. His experience and education there inspired him to revive the family label. Collaborating with winemaker and childhood friend Kirk Venge, Mac crushed his first grapes in October 2001.
Mac and Kirk share a singular goal: to source the highest quality fruit from Napa Valley and create wines of exceptional depth and personality. The grapes they select highlight the terroir of the vineyards, resulting in a remarkable wine-drinking experience.
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It's too bad they aren't open to the public or have a tasting room. This is about as good as Napa Cabernet gets. Big and Bold as the way Norcal Wine Country should be. It's definitely on the pricey side, but as a person that doesn't usually drink Cabernet by default and usually only if I have food, this was still tremendous standalone. Kudos to our sommelier who was not only highly entertaining, he definitely hit it out of the park as a recommendation. The "Blank Vineyard" cabernet is truly a great wine. I hear that they also make olive oil. Grace Family Vineyards can be reached by fax at: 707-963-5271. Or via email to Marna Farver: beoptimystic2 [at] aol.com Grace Family Vineyards regrets that the winery is not open to the public, nor do they have a tasting room.
Tulocay was one of the "new" wineries to start up in the early 1970's, and the owner, Bill Cadman, is still at it and still making great Napa wines, in the traditional style. This means that his wines are very well-balanced and play well with food - they don't dominate, they enhance and compliment, good meals. They also age very well. Another plus is that the Tulocay wines are generally very well-priced compared with your average Napa wine - many if not most of his wines are in the 20 to 30 dollar range.
