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Vineyards Where wines are born

Over the past 20+ years of living and working in the Napa Valley we’ve gotten to know a vineyard or a thousand.

The vineyards we work with at Patria are not only the sites that most inspire us, but are also farmed by brilliant growers we are honored to call friends and collaborators.

Oakville Ranch Oakville, Calif.

Perched at 1,400 feet, in the eastern hills of Napa valley, Oakville Ranch may be the highest vineyard in the Oakville Appellation. Purchased in the mid 1980s by Robert and Mary Miner, and farmed organically by vineyard guru Phil Coturri, this 330 acre estate is home to 75 acres of vines planted in its rocky volcanic soils.

Tony first fell in love with Oakville Ranch fruit while at Duckhorn Vineyards under the mentorship of Dan Duckhorn and Alex Ryan. Fortunate to work with many of Napa’s most revered vineyards, Oakville Ranch was always the crown jewel. Tony knew that when the time came to make his own wine, it would be his first stop. In 2013 - after much wooing and on bended knee - Tony was able to sign a long-term contract to purchase the fruit for Patria. The volcanic Andesite rock soils combined with the elevation produce grapes that are rich in color and flavor while having wonderful natural acidity even after long periods of hangtime. The 7 blocks we work with are comprised of three clones of Cabernet (7, SEE and 337), two clones of Cabernet Franc (332 and Saunders) and one clone of Petit Verdot (400).

A. Price Vineyard St. Helena, Calif.

Tony may not always be quick to awe, but that is what happened when he first met Alan Price in 1993. Tony was working as an intern at Hess Collection Winery - and while he had no idea exactly what Alan did - he knew immediately Alan was an expert at all things vine to grape. The legend of Alan continued to unfold when Tony later learned the St. Helena-native Price family were the original owners of the land now known as Spottswoode Estate.

While they sold the majority of their land, the Price family kept a small 2+ acre parcel of the famed estate. In 1991 Alan planted just over an acre of the land to Cabernet Sauvignon – selecting the now prized heritage clone 7. Located at the mouth of one of Spring Mountain’s alluvial fans, A. Price is a quintessential St. Helena vineyard, producing intense black and blue fruit notes coupled with grace and polish. As the vineyard is small and shy-yielding, quantities will always be tiny – but it is a singular place – we are humbled and grateful to get to work with Alan and his spectacular fruit.