Mountain Chronicles

Step into a lush paradise. Among the historic buildings and rows of vines on Spring Mountain is an oasis of green where swaying palms tower overhead and a tapestry of exotic plants cluster around well-marked paths. Embraced by the cool shade, you can meander through this verdant sanctuary in both body and mind, a combination of awe, inspiration and total tranquility.

Spring has always been a magical time of rebirth and renewal on the mountain. This year, that feeling was even more profound as we placed new vines into the ground as part of an ambitious 225 acre replanting project. Originally, it began as a response to wildfire damage, but has since evolved into a holistic, estate-wide endeavor.

This week, San Francisco Chronicle profiled Spring Mountain Vineyard - our storied past, the challenges we’ve faced, and the exciting future ahead.

This year marks a significant milestone in our long history. The Miravalle mansion, built by Tiburcio Parrott in 1885, turns 140 years old. For almost a century and a half, this remarkable home has been an icon of our estate. A beautiful testament of late-19th century architecture, it is perhaps more famously known for its role in the 1980s TV series Falcon Crest. Today, it remains at the heart of every experience at the winery. To honor this legacy, we have some exciting plans over the next year, including special commemorative wines.

When the Glass Fire tore through Spring Mountain in 2020, it left destruction in its wake. Among the heartbreaking losses were some ancient groves of trees, including a significant number of second growth redwoods. While our estate has shown remarkable resilience, many of these majestic giants – some of which witnessed the very footsteps of our founders – were irrevocably damaged.

Situated near the top of our property, with undulating rows of vines that stretch to the ridgeline, La Perla Ranch is the jewel of Spring Mountain. Home to the first Cabernet Sauvignon ever planted in this AVA, it also has a rich and storied past that dates back to the late 19th century. You don’t have to know the history to enjoy the wines, but it sure does make conversation over a bottle a lot more interesting. For that reason, we thought now was a great time to share its story.

This fall, Spring Mountain Vineyard completed a year-long restoration of its beautiful stained glass window in the historic Miravalle mansion. After a particularly windy storm last spring, several panes were blown out. To preserve this important piece of our history, we hired Nzalani Glass Conservation. True artisans, they carefully removed the window, restored the glass and its frame, and reinstalled it to its former glory. The whole process is captured on video, here.

Built by Tiburcio Parrott at the end of the nineteenth century, our historic Miravalle mansion has several iconic features, but one of the most notable is the beautiful stained glass over the staircase. Expertly crafted, it’s made up of 15 panels in the center with six more in an arched sash above. In the center sits a parrot on a branch, surrounded by detailed leaves and colorful “jewels.”

As a historic Napa Valley estate, Spring Mountain Vineyard’s roots run deep – and not only as grapevines. When Tiburcio Parrot developed his Miravalle Estate property in the late 1800s, he planted 5,000 olive trees (along 1,000 citrus trees, and 5,000 European and American Beauty rose bushes). Today, these olive trees are one of the few living things that have been witness to generations on our estate. But many have been damaged by fire, disease, and neglect. This fall, we embarked on a large-scale project to preserve these ancient sentinels.

Wines, when given time, just get better with age. Flavors integrate, nuances emerge, and edges become softer and rounder. Within these new depths, stories of time and place unfold. Not all wines are built for this journey - it also takes the right conditions as well as a lot of restraint and patience - but when those elements align, wineries can create extensive libraries, holding back bottles to age to perfection and release when they’re showing their best.

Last week marked the end of our 2024 harvest. Exhilarating yet exhausting, the bustle of trucks, sorting machines, and crushers has been replaced by the rich smell of fermenting grapes and the much quieter buzz of winemaking. With all our grapes in, the cautious optimism that had started earlier this fall now feels real, and we can confidently say that we’re looking at one of the best vintages in a long time.

September in the vineyard is always filled with a sense of anticipation. It’s a culmination of a season of hard work. As a mountain winery, our harvest doesn’t usually begin until October, long after much of Napa Valley has picked their grapes. But plump clusters hang on the vines, and the promise of a new vintage is palpable.