The contribution that a well farmed vineyard and quality fruit make to an excellent bottle of wine can never be overstated. We are fortunate to source fruit from vineyards that are managed by families who have been farming for over 100 years and who own and work the vineyards themselves; because it all begins in the vineyard.
Frediani
Right outside of Calistoga, at the base of the Palisades on the Silverado Trail, is Frediani Vineyards. The Frediani family have been farming these vineyards for three generations, something that is quite rare in the valley these days. At 130 acres of planted vines, Frediani Vineyards grows some of the most sought after fruit in the Napa Valley, from rare varietals like Charbono to classic varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon - 11 different varietals in total. The vines are mostly head trained and dry farmed and sit on a broad variety of soils ranging from the essentially bottomless, benchland Pleasanton gravels to the richer and heavier Bale clay loams closer to the Napa river. Jim Frediani manages the vineyards today, a job he’s been doing in some form or another since he was a kid in his grandfather’s vineyard.
WINES: Sauvignon Blanc, Charbono, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, XXXIV, Cabernet Sauvignon – Integrity
SIGNATURE SERIES WINES: Cabernet Sauvignon – Jean Louis Vermeil, Cabernet Sauvignon – Pickett Road, Cabernet Sauvignon – Rosedale Block
Luvisi
Also outside Calistoga, right next door to Frediani Vineyards, is Luvisi Vineyards owned by brothers Don and Clarence Luvisi. Along with their first cousin, Jim Frediani, they grew up working their grandfather’s vineyard. The Luvisi ancestors bought the land in the late 1800s and the Zinfandel vines, some of the oldest in the valley, were planted in 1908. The vineyard is head trained and dry farmed and sits on a gentle, south-facing loam alluvium of Pleasanton gravel.
WINES: Zinfandel
Dutton Ranch
Located in Sonoma County, the Dutton family farms 1,100 acres of vineyards in the Russian River Valley and Green Valley AVAs. The Dutton family has been farming in Sonoma County since the 1880s. The ranch has been planted to grapes since 1967 and now also includes 200 acres of organic apples. Vermeil Wines grapes are sourced from blocks in the vineyard that are part of the original 35 acres of property purchased by Warren Dutton in 1964. The vines in these blocks are planted on alluvial soil of clay loam and the vineyards are 100% sustainably farmed.
WINES: Chardonnay