Over 20 years ago, we began to look for a rural setting as a retreat from the hustle and bustle of city and careers when we came across a small home and piece of land in the Napa Valley. We planted our first Chardonnay vineyard in the Oak Knoll district, north of Napa.
We used a new Dijon clone and also broke Napa tradition by close-row planting, which required that the vineyard be entirely hand tended. In other words, no tractors. Randy Lewis, an ultra-premium winemaker in the valley, showed immediate interest. Every year, the Chardonnay he has made using that fruit has received stratospheric scores.
