By Winemaker Jac Cole
When I came to Spring Mountain Vineyard in 2003, just prior to harvest, I was amazed at the complexity and diversity of the estate. With 845 acres of forested hillside and 225 acres of vines on 135 distinct vineyard blocks, I needed GPS to find not only the location of each block, but where the heck I was in relation to the winery!
That was a challenging first vintage, but made less so because my longtime friend, vineyard manager Ron Rosenbrand had just joined the SMV team. With Ron’s 30 years of hands-on Napa Valley experience and my own 30 years, plus the glue of a 12 year friendship, the daunting first harvest seem do-able. And it was. We quickly assigned numbers to each of the blocks and hunkered down for harvest.
Over the past six vintages at SMV, I’ve learned the nuances of each vineyard block and what each contributes to our wines. I appreciate the unique set of natural circumstances inherent in our estate vineyards that make my job as winemaker so fulfilling.
The Spring Mountain Vineyard estate represents nearly 25% of the total planted acres in the Spring Mountain District. I believe that when you taste a wine from this estate, you taste the essence of the appellation, the characteristics that define our wines and those of our neighbors.
I welcome your exploration of this beautiful winegrowing appellation. Spring Mountain Vineyard is open daily by appointment for tours and tasting. Make sure you stop by the lab to say hello.
Cheers, Jac Cole
Spring Mountain Vineyard Wines
In the mid 1990s, Jacob E. Safra purchased four contiguous 19th century vineyards on Spring Mountain and devoted the historic estate to making one signature wine: Elivette. He replanted the hillside vineyards to the classic red Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, all ideally suited to Spring Mountain. The estate’s diversity in elevation, soils and multiple microclimates provides a wealth of choices for Elivette, the quintessential expression of the estate and a wine of complexity, concentration and longevity.
Such is the scope of wine expression that a Cabernet Sauvignon is also made. Its style is bold, terroir-driven and readily accessible in its youth. Additionally, a few hundred cases of estate bottled Syrah and Pinot Noir are produced. One white wine, a Sauvignon Blanc, is made using barrel fermentation in neutral oak and extended sur-lie batonnage.
Spring Mountain Vineyard History
A century ago, Spring Mountain Vineyard consisted of four separate, but adjoining vineyards established by European immigrants who looked above the valley floor to the hillsides to plant their vineyards.
At the highest elevation (1600 feet) is the La Perla Winery, built in 1870, on the site where German-born Charles Lemme made history by planting the very first Cabernet vines on Spring Mountain. Just below at 1200 feet is the Beringer brothers’ original vineyard, planted in 1882. A little further down the mountain at 1000 feet is Chateau Chevalier, a vineyard planted in 1891 by French-born Fortune Chevalier. His towered stone chateau remains sturdy and strong today thanks to recent restoration. Finally, at 400 feet is Miravalle, the 1885 estate of Mexican-born Tiburcio Parrott, with its beautiful Victorian home, Eastlake horse barn and original wine cave.
These friends and neighbors produced many wines of distinction, including award winning ‘claret’ during the pre-Prohibition period on Spring Mountain.
