A Napa Valley-based wine producer that produces one of the best so-called "cult" Cabernets. The owner, Christian Moueix, who has co-owned the winery since 1982, has thus, thanks to a recommendation from Roberto Mondavi, turned his attention to New World wines alongside the renowned Chateau Petrus of Pomerol. The estate is based on the Napanook vineyard, which is notable for being one of the first ever sites planted with grapes in the Napa Valley region. They specialize in varieties so typical of Bordeaux, led by Cabernet Sauvignon.
Founded in 1982, the winery farms approximately 17 acres in the famed Napa Valley of the Santa Helena AVA. However, this estate was founded in 1882 by German immigrant Georg Schonewald, who was primarily in the hotel business. In 1908, new owner George Allen renamed the estate Lyndenhurst, which is also one of the single vineyards of this winery today. Then in 1910, Susan Spotts bought the estate and renamed it Spottswoode, the name it still bears today. The winery reached its greatest growth and fame after 1972, when Jack and Mary Novak bought the estate - and it was mainly thanks to Mary that their wines achieved not only a qualitative shift, but also fame and notoriety. In 1982, the first year of the "new" winery, they produced their first 1200 cases of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Dalla Valle Vineyards is a winery founded in 1986 by Naoko and her late husband Gustavo Dalla Valle in Oakville, Napa. They originally wanted to create a luxury resort, but when they discovered the potential of the site, they changed their minds and decided to make wine. They started with just three acres of vineyards and planted Cabernet Franc and Merlot alongside Cabernet Sauvignon on the hillsides – despite the practices of the time. Although this made farming more expensive, the quality soon proved itself. The winery was then catapulted to stardom when Robert Parker awarded 100 points to the 1992 Maya, as only the second wine from the US. However, the wine was not at all typical of the region – tannic and built for long bottle age, plus the cuvée was dominated by Cabernet Franc. Today, Dalla Valle is undoubtedly one of Napa’s – and California’s – most respected names, with Naoko and her daughter Maya at the helm.
Promontory has become one of Napa's most important wineries in a relatively short period of time. The story begins in the 1980s when H. William Harlan, founder of Harlan Estate and Bond Winery, discovered a beautiful, almost forgotten place with vineyards while hiking along the southwest ridge of Oakville. Unfortunately, it was not available for purchase, but persistence paid off and in 2008 the Harlan family purchased the estate. The first vintage of this unique wine, 2009, was released in 2015 and became one of the hits of that year. Although it is only one variety, Cabernet Sauvignon, the cuvée consists of over 30 different plots with absolutely different conditions. It is also completely uncharacteristic of the US to age wines in barrels from Austria. Promontory wines are destined for long aging in bottle, or, time is Promontory's best friend - like people, these wines can only know themselves with age.
