When Winemaker Christopher Carpenter envisions each new vintage of Cardinale, he becomes a composer to each of our esteemed Napa Valley mountain vineyards. Together, the Cardinale vineyards create a perfect composition in a remarkable Cabernet Sauvignon.
A lifelong passion for wine, combined with a keen interest in mountain geology, first brought Bill and Bonnie Kehret to the Fair Play region of the Sierra Foothills in the early 2000s. Amidst building a successful high-tech company in Silicon Valley and traveling globally for business, the couple became regular visitors to El Dorado County, indulging in low-key wine getaways.
In a fortunate twist of fate, the old Mt. Aukum winery came up for sale just as Bill was preparing to retire from the company he had dedicated nearly 30 years to building from the ground up. Intrigued by the potential of the microclimate atop Mt. Aukum, the well-drained granite soil, and the breathtaking views from the winery, Bill and Bonnie purchased the property in 2018. They envisioned transforming the site into a world-class winery that would showcase the unique characteristics of the region.
The following year was dedicated to a complete renovation of the facility and the installation of state-of-the-art winemaking equipment and technology. With a small, dedicated team, they transformed the site into a premier winemaking facility and began the process of renewing and expanding the estate vineyards.
In April 2019, the newly renovated tasting room at Kehret Vineyards reopened its doors. After much anticipation, the first wines from Kehret Vineyards were released in October 2019. The next crucial step in their journey to becoming a world-class winery was to find the right winemaker to lead their vision.
In 2020, Steve Leveque joined the Kehret Vineyards team as the Master Winemaker. He is reshaping winemaking in the Fair Play region, bringing with him a rich history of viticulture and world-class winemaking techniques. Steve’s impressive resume has established him as one of California’s most renowned winemakers.
Born and raised in Napa Valley, Steve has built a reputation for crafting wines that embody the purity and identity of their vineyards. His experience includes prestigious positions at notable wineries such as HALL, Chalk Hill, Opus One, and Mondavi.
In addition to being a master winemaker, Steve is also a skilled viticulturist, spending significant time overseeing vineyard operations to produce exceptional grapes of unparalleled quality. He honed his winemaking skills during a decade-long tenure at Robert Mondavi Winery and absorbed innovative ideas from leading viticulture research and visionary collaborators, including the renowned Bordeaux consultant Michel Rolland. Later, as the executive vice president and winemaker at Chalk Hill Estate Winery in Sonoma, he crafted an award-winning portfolio of small-lot Bordeaux varietals and Chardonnay. Steve then became the head winemaker for HALL Wines in Napa, as well as their partners WALT and BACA. Under his guidance, over 200 of his wines received ratings of 90 points and above during his 11-year tenure.
Steve has earned three 100-point scores from Wine Advocate, two from Jeb Dunnuck, and was recognized with the #2 Wine in the World from Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2011. More than 80 of his wines have been rated between 95 and 99 points by elite wine publications. This success is the result of years of experience marked by risk-taking, experimentation, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Steve’s winemaking philosophy begins in the vineyard. To truly tell the vineyard's story and create balanced wines, he emphasizes the importance of bold flavors. Every aspect of vineyard farming is crucial; timing is everything. Each vintage presents its own unique challenges, and vineyard operations must align with the growing season's influences. Decisions about shoot removal, hedging, and crop thinning all carry significant consequences.
For Steve, achieving a harmonious balance between vine vigor and crop is essential. He believes that cultivating low-vigor vines with low yields allows each cluster to ripen perfectly. This approach ensures that each grape cluster can develop fully, allowing for optimal ripening of sugar, tannins, texture, and flavor. Canopy management is another critical component of this process.
Numerous factors contribute to vineyard expression and balance. Once harvested, a winemaker's role is to honor that expression, employing gentle and precise techniques. Ultimately, to maintain vineyard expression and balance, winemaking must consistently respect and celebrate what the vineyard offers.
Varozza Vineyards is owned by Jack and Dianna Varozza. A couple that took over Jack's father's winery. The couple is absolutely amazing and nice. Great down home feel to this tour. Dianne can answer any question, comfortable atmosphere. Free tour you will feel like you need a bottle of wine to take with you.
Top notch experience with top notch wine. Our host for the day started by taking us into a big room with a fully set table. I appreciated that we were each given multiple glasses that were appropriate for the wine were were tasting - Chardonnay, Pinot & Cab. It makes such a difference and that should have been the first clue to the experience we were about to have.
Ramey Wine Cellars the tasting room is just a simple conference room, and the wine making area looks like a shipping facility. but the staff was friendly, and the wines are quite tastey. The reds we tried were bold and complicated. The whites were dry and earthy.
From vine to bottle Mounts Family Winery specializes in hand-crafted, limited production lots of Petite Sirah, Malbec, Grenache, Viognier, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.
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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In 1987, Jim Summers acquired a 28-acre vineyard nestled in Knights Valley, a region located northwest of Calistoga between Mount St. Helena and the Alexander Valley. At the time, the property was predominantly planted with Merlot grapes, established 30 years earlier by Dan Duckhorn, along with some Muscat Canelli. The inaugural vintage of Summers Ranch Reserve Merlot was produced in 1992, yielding 900 cases. Today, the estate also produces Petite Sirah from the Knights Valley vineyard. Known for its warm climate, volcanic soils, and proximity to Napa Valley, Knights Valley has recently garnered increased attention for its Bordeaux varietals.
In 1996, Summers expanded their vineyard holdings by acquiring 25 acres at the intersection of Highway 128 and Tubbs Lane in Napa Valley. This property, now known as Summers Estate Wines, is home to the Villa Andriana Vineyard, named in honor of their daughter. While the estate has been fully revitalized to maximize its potential, the 40-year-old Zinfandel vines are meticulously preserved. The winery and tasting room, surrounded by over 22 acres of Zinfandel, Charbono, and Cabernet Sauvignon vines, strike a perfect balance between pleasure and productivity.
Summers' signature wine is the distinctive Charbono, a varietal believed to be an early Italian adaptation of Charbonneau, a French grape. Some argue it is closely related to the Dolcetto variety, which is commonly grown in northern Italy. The Charbono vine produces large berries that create a deeply colored red wine, known for its rich fruit flavors and low tannin content when subjected to extended skin contact during fermentation.
The Summers Estate, with its scenic vineyard views in Calistoga, California, stands as a testament to the region's rich winemaking heritage.
Conn Creek is a small but nice winery located in St. Helena. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about the wine and estate even explaining to us the different regions around Napa, Sonoma, Rutherford, etc. I really liked the Cabernet Franc and the Cabernet Sauvingon. If you're a big red wine fan, they have a flight tasting of just red wines if you don't want to try their mixed wines.
EMH’s vineyard is situated on the valley floor near Pickett Road in Calistoga, just east of the Silverado Trail. Pocketed by the Palisades Mountains to the north and Diamond Mountain to the south, the tiny vineyard of just under an acre produces outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon fruit.
