Overview
Spottswoode Vineyard & Winery
Spottswoode is an historic, family-owned estate vineyard and winery. As stewards of this beautiful estate, we are guided by both intuition and respect for Mother Nature’s unique seasonal offerings. We treat the land with great care by hand-tending our organically-farmed vineyard, olive trees, and garden. The attention given to each vineyard block is also applied to the crafting of our wines, which contributes to their quality, consistency, and individuality. Among the first to introduce organic farming practices in the Napa Valley in 1985, we are proud to be certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) since 1990.
As a company, we strive for balance, grace, integrity, and quality in our wines as well as in all aspects of our business. We place the highest priority on our personal and professional relationships, and we show respect for our environment by being responsible stewards of our land and historic buildings. We are proud to have pioneered the restoration of the waters and wildlife diversity of Spring Creek, a local watershed that defines the southern boundary of our estate. This project underscores our commitment to our estate property and our community.
History
Spottswoode is renowned for its exceptional estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon. Our vineyard is planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Musque. Located on the western edge of St. Helena in Napa Valley, the 46-acre estate was established in 1882 by George Schonewald, whose historic Victorian home is depicted on our label. Spottswoode was christened by Mrs. Albert Spotts, who owned the property from 1910 until its purchase in 1972 by Mary Weber Novak and her late husband, Dr. Jack Novak. The Novaks restored the original home and replanted the pre-Prohibition era vineyard. Spottswoode’s debut Cabernet Sauvignon was produced in 1982, exactly one hundred years after the estate’s founding.
Estate Vineyard
The 40-acre Spottswoode Estate Vineyard is an ideal terroir for growing wine grapes. Situated on the apex of the Sulphur Creek fan, the sandy clay loam provides superb drainage. The gap between the Mayacamas Range and Spring Mountain admits cooling maritime breezes that temper the sun’s heat, creating an ideal microclimate for winegrowing. With the input of some of Napa’s finest consultants, the vineyard is carefully managed by our own winegrowing team and hand tended by our skilled crew, whose foreman, Jose Luis Lopez, has over 25 years experience at Spottswoode.
Estate Winery
Our estate winery consists of two historic buildings (circa 1884): a Victorian farmhouse that serves as our office, and a pre-Prohibition stone cellar where we barrel age our Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1999 we added a handsome winery, designed to blend seamlessly with the property’s historic structures. This modern facility allows us to hand sort individual clusters before they are fermented in tanks specifically sized to match the crop harvested from the individual blocks within our estate vineyard.
The Wines
To ensure the highest quality, Spottswoode is dedicated to producing just three Napa Valley wines in very limited quantities: Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc, and the recently-introduced Lyndenhurst, our Cabernet Sauvignon crafted from young vines. The Novak family is committed to producing wines that faithfully reflect their grape origins. In each wine we strive for a classic structure, for refinement, elegance, brilliant fruit flavors, and balance. French oak is judiciously integrated, so that it complements our fruit’s nuances and power.
Management
A small and dedicated group of individuals who share a passion for this estate contribute to Spottswoode’s success. Owner Mary Novak is assisted by daughters Beth Novak Milliken, President of the winery, and Lindy Novak, who oversees National Sales and Marketing in conjunction with Tracey Skupny. Peah Armstrong serves as Vice President. Erica Wallenbrock manages our office and oversees Customer Relations, while Tiffany Minnick is in charge of Customer Service and Fulfillment. Winemaker Jennifer Williams manages the production of the Spottswoode wines, and Rosemary Cakebread, Spottswoode’s Winemaker since 1997, is our Consulting Winemaker. Rounding out our production team is Aron Weinkauf, who serves as Assistant Winemaker and Vineyard Manager.
Mission
At Spottswoode we nurture and respect our land, our history, and our customers. Our goal is to produce classic wines that faithfully reflect their grape origins in a distinct, refined style—in short, wines that are worthy to stand among those of the world’s great wine estates.
