Spring Mountain District Wineries (Napa California)

After driving along the Valley floor in Napa, people often want to find more secluded less touristy wineries to visit in Napa on subsequent trips.  After making a left in St. Helena you run into Spring Mountain Road, which brings you up a series of twists and turns and into one of the most under-appreciated wine regions in all of Napa.  On Spring Mountain wine lovers will find a variety of Bordeaux style wines being produced at multiple price points and some of the nicest owners and Proprietors in all of Napa.  I hope you'll enjoy this brief review of the Spring Mountain wineries and will consider visiting a few of them on your next trip to wine country.

Atchley Vineyard: Known more for the grapes which are labeled as Limestone Cave which was originally dug by Chinese immigrant labor during the 1880's, Atchley sells some grapes to Bennett Lane Winery which often turns them into 90+ point wines.

Barnett Vineyards: A recent 95 point score from Robert Parker on their Rattlesnake Hill Cabernet Sauvignon shows the type of wine the estate is capable of producing. Owned by the same family since 1983, it can offer a more intimate tasting experience including some of the best views of Napa Valley that you'll find anywhere.

Behrens & Hitchcock: Humble beginnings abound in this winery as it started in a Humboldt county basement and now produces a range of high end, hand made and bottled wines under their own label in a French style which calls for lower alcohol rates and easier pairings with food. The focus here, not surprisingly is on Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon based blends with prices often ending up between $50 and $80.

Cain Vineyard & Winery: One of the best views of the valley below abound from this beautiful property which stays to its family owned roots and produces only three wines. All three are red wine blends and offer some of the highest quality and value anywhere on Spring Mountain.

Eeden Vineyards: A bit different then many of the producers you'll find in Napa, Edden makes only one wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon. They also grow a small amount of Cabernet Franc and Petite Syrah which are blended with the Cabernet Sauvignon in very small amounts to produce the wineries only wine. With a rich history in Napa, this small family owned operation sits on a property which has been making wine since the early 1900's and boasts both gardens and statutes which show this extensive history.

Erna Schein Winery: Brought to you by the same owners that have brought Napa Valleythe previously mentioned Behrens and Hitchcock, this winery focuses on purchased fruit from small sites across Napa and into Mendocito County which allows them to craft a wider range of varietals. The focus is still Cab, but the blends are interesting both in name and quality.

Fantesca Estate & Winery: With a vineyard originally included in a dowry of a woman who married Charles Krug (the winery owned by the entire Mondavi family before the bitter split) there is going to be a ton of history here! Built on the Hoff family fortune made at Best Buy the winery now creates 800 cases a year behind superstar winemaker Heidi Barnett.

Fife Vineyards: The winery owned by a winemaker with experience at BV and the woman who wrote perhaps the most important wine book in American history, The Wine Bible. Best known for Bordeaux varietals (who isn't on Spring Mountain?) they are one of the few to make a world class ZInfandel in addition.

Frias Family Vineyard:100% single vineyard, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Founded in 1991 and still family owned to this day, the winery now produces a small amount of other wines in addition to their Cab, but with average critics scores landing above 90 points in most years, this is a special wine and well worth the trip.

Guilliams Vineyards: Guilliams Vineyards is home to only 7 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Grown at such high altitude (over 2,000 feet) means that the fruit has thicker skins and more intense flavors. This is by far one of the least stuffy Napa related wineries you’re likely to find.

Hollywood & Vine: Not the location in Hollywood which is famous in and of itself, this winery was created by two friends who got their starts in the entertainment industry. The winery crafts the standard fare in Napa, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and red wine blend. Of course with critics scores hovering around 93 points for their Cab, this is not your normal winery.

Marston Family Vineyard: Another Cabernet Sauvignon producer, highlighted by superstar winemaker Phillipe Melka. They only make 500 total cases of their one wine in most years, although more recent growing conditions have allowed the winery to produce an outstanding white wine blend as well. Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon are the only varietals you’ll find bottled at this outstanding producer.

Newton Vineyard: Almost all of the wineries on Spring Mountain are known first and foremost for their red wine, especially Bordeaux style blends. While Newton makes some outstanding red wines, they are known perhaps more for their Chardonnay then any other wine. They take advantage of the cool climate and difficult growing conditions on the mountain to offer some of the best Chardonnay grown anywhere in the world.

Paloma Vineyards: An outlier in that they don't make a Cabernet Sauvignon, this ultra exclusive vintner crafts only Merlot and Syrah. The Merlot is the one of greatest acclaim receiving over 90 point scores from Robert Parker each year since its release.

Peacock Family Vineyards: Are you looking for a variety of wines to taste on your next visit? If so, please stop elsewhere! Peacock makes only one wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon. At $95 it calls for a special occasion, but at under 400 cases in total this is truly a family run operation worthy of our support for their business structure as well as quality of wine.

Pride Mountain Vineyards: Pride is probably the quintessential winery on Spring Mountain. To start, it is located at the very apex of the mountain, originally bought as a way for the owners to retire in wine country and grow grapes for fun, they submitted their first bottling to famed wine critic Robert Parker and received a 94 point score which changed their retirement lifestyle significantly. One of the best tours in all of Napa awaits you at this winery where you'll notice that tax laws from Napa and Sonoma mean that they have in effect two separate wine making operations on each side of the county dividing line. $10 will get you an hour long tour, a tasting of all their current releases and a tour of one of the nicest cave complexes in the entire United States.

Ritchie Creek Vineyard: Only 800 cases of Cab are produced from this award winning vineyard at the top of Spring Mountain. Only 8 acres are planted with vines, making it one of the most rustic stops on any trip through Napa.  You'll see more old growth forest here than virtually anywhere else in and around grape vines in California.  BTW, the wine happens to be excellent as well!

Keenan Winery: Do you want to visit a 130 year old farmhouse that has been remade into a winery? Yes, Keenan is rustic and offers a different take on wine country then the chapels to wine that are often found in Napa, but their wine (and people) are all top notch. Of special interest is their Napa Valley Merlot which is consistently one of the best value Merlot's in all of Napa. Say hello to their dog, who is only too happy to greet people when they enter the tasting room. Enjoy a look back at Spring Mountain in pictures and in the stone winery structure itself as you taste. This is one of the very few buildings that survived the earthquake in 1906.

Schweiger Vineyards: Family owned since the 1960's, this is one of the most environmentally friendly vineyards in all of Napa, going so far as to calculate it's carbon footprint. The four most common Bordeaux varietals are all grown well here including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and even a small amount of Malbec which is mainly used as a blending agent.

Scully Family Vineyards: Both exclusive and reclusive, how many other wineries do you know that don't have an active website? Scully is known for its vineyard which provides grapes to other wineries on Spring Mountain...if you can find the wine yourself you're also in for a treat to an ultra exclusive wine without the price tag.

Sherwin Family Vineyards: Three versions of Cabernet Sauvignon are made here, with one even posing largely as a dessert wine.  It's an interesting project and a solid visit for anyone in the area.

Spring Mountain Vineyard

Terra Valentine: An interesting, truly family owned winery they produce a range of classic Spring Mountain varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Interestingly, they also make one of the very few Sangiovese based blends (similar to a Super Tuscan) in all of Napa Valley.

Vineyard 7 & 8