Next time you’re in the Napa Valley, take some time to visit Lewelling Vineyards, and you’ll have a chance to experience what Napa was like 100 years ago.  The Lewelling family has been growing grapes in St. Helena since 1864.  By their reckoning, they are the longest working family-farming operation in the valley.  Wow!  They made wine through most of the 19th century. 

Lewelling still sells a lot of grapes.  Only about 10% of their production goes into their Lewelling Vineyards wines (about 1400 cases per year).  The balance is sold to other pre-eminent winemakers in the valley. Lewelling makes two Cabernet Sauvignon, each of which is typically blended with a touch of Cabernet Franc.  Robert Parker esspecially likes the wine, calling it "one of the greatest bargains in world-class Cabernet Sauvignon"; the 2007’s received scores of 98 and 95 (Read Review).

The vineyards of the historic Lewelling estate were established in 1864 near the western foothills in St. Helena by pioneer winegrower and horticulturist John Lewelling. Janice Lewelling Wight, John Lewelling's great-granddaughter, and her husband Russ built a home on the family property in 1950 and quickly became involved in operating and replanting the vineyard. Today Russ, together with his three sons, Alan, Doug and Dave, farm a 28-acre vineyard on a portion of the original estate, one of the oldest continuously-owned family vineyards in the Napa Valley.

During the 1870's and 1880's the vineyards of the St. Helena area established a reputation for producing some of the finest wines in the United States, a reputation that is now acknowledged world-wide and is attributed to the unique combination of soils and climate found here. Over the years Lewelling Vineyards has consistently harvested exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that have been sold to such fine Napa Valley wineries as Caymus, Viader, and Beaulieu. In 1992 the Wight Family began production of their own vineyard-designated wine.

Each member of the family plays a role in crafting Lewelling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. Russ, now officially retired, offers the perspective and insight of his years of grapegrowing.

Dave studied philosophy at Harvard before returning to the Napa Valley to work in the cellar at Inglenook. He has a degree from U.C. Davis in viticulture and enology and is the winemaker for Lewelling Vineyards. Doug graduated from Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo and managed vineyards for Martini Winery prior to starting his own business in 1977. Today he operates the family vineyard as well as managing 500 additional acres of Napa Valley vineyard. Alan, an engineer for Agilent Technologies, is a key member of the winery tasting panel and decision-making team.

Lewelling remains a true family winery.  Brothers Dave and Doug, the winemaker and vineyard manager respectively, are the fifth generation of Lewellings to farm the property.  Doug’s daughter, Haley is the assistant winemaker, and Haley’s daughter, Tilly (that’s the seventh generation for those of you keeping score at home) is frequently found cruising around the farm on her tricycle.

The Wight family is committed to making wines that showcase the exceptional fruit from this unique vineyard site. Crop size, irrigation, trellising and vine nutrition are managed for optimum grape quality. The wines are carefully hand-crafted using traditional winemaking methods and aged in 90% new French oak barrels from a selection of coopers. Gentle winemaking and minimal handling are emphasized to preserve the natural richness of the grapes. A program of experimentation with root stocks, clones, trellising and winemaking techniques seeks to enhance the texture, complexity and elegant natural balance of the wines.Try some – it’s delicious.  And stop by the farm for a hug from Tilly. You’ll find it’s a wonderful accompaniment to a nice glass of wine.