Ritchie Creek Vineyard is located at the top of Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley appellation’s premium Cabernet Sauvignon growing district. We produce just 800 cases of handcrafted estate wines from our small mountain vineyard which was planted in 1967.
At 2000 feet above sea level, our vineyard’s thin rocky soil and cool northern exposure bear low yields of two to three tons of fruit per acre as compared to vineyards in the Napa Valley floor which produce four to six tons per acre. Our low-yielding vines produce deeply concentrated wines with intense varietal character which have proven their great aging potential.
Most of the Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted over 30 years ago using St. George rootstock budded to a shy bearing pre-certification clone of Cabernet Sauvignon. Soon followed by the planting of Merlot, Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir, and a small amount of an Austrian varietal, Blaufrankisch. In all, Ritchie Creek Vineyard encompasses 8 acres of vineyard.
