| The story of Chimney Rock is entwined with the story of Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, home to some of the most elegant Cabernet Sauvignon produced on American soil. But the winery’s beginnings hark back to the original owners’ love of Bordeaux. When the late Hack Wilson and his wife Stella retired after a long career in the beverage industry, they decided to fulfill a life-long passion and began searching for a winery. Their search started in South Africa, their home, and continued in France. In 1970 they came close to acquiring Chateau Phelan-Segur in Saint-Estephe. But the owners decided not to sell, and the search continued. As it did, friend and wine expert Alexis Lichine advised the Wilsons to ”Look everywhere, but buy in Napa Valley, for Napa is to California as Bordeaux is to France. ” In 1980, a 180-acre estate located on the Napa Valley’s Silverado Trail and occupied by a golf course called Chimney Rock, captivated the Wilsons and they decided to make it home. By this time, the Stags Leap area was already gaining worldwide attention and acclaim for its Cabernet Sauvignon. Inspired by the chiseled rock formations in the nearby eastern hillsides, the Wilsons decided to keep Chimney Rock as the name for the winery. They plowed under nine holes of the golf course and planted the 75 acres to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Fume Blanc. In 1987, a year after releasing their 1984 vintage, the Wilsons joined forces with Doug Fletcher, former winemaker at Steltzner Vineyards and Martin Ray Winery. A steward of the land and a meticulous winemaker used to working with only outstanding quality grapes, Doug set about working from the ground up at Chimney Rock. The winery produced its first estate vintage in 1989. That same year, the first winery building, with its massive allegorical frieze of Ganymede, cupbearer to the gods, was completed. In addition to his winemaking and vineyard expertise, Fletcher is noted for his development of the ”Fletcher Lyre” and ”Balanced Vine Viticulture. ” |
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