The Ladera story is a tale of two vineyards, almost at opposite ends of the Napa Valley. Their terrains and their histories are very different. Lone Canyon Vineyard on the flank of Mt. Veeder ranges in altitude up to 1,100 feet; some areas are so rugged and steep it's difficult to stand upright. Ladera's Howell Mountain property ranges in altitude from 1,600 feet to 1,800 feet: a gently rolling terrain, but set on a plateau high above the Napa Valley floor. Our name reminds us of the virtue they share- both produce the distinctly intense fruit of well-drained hillside and mountain vineyards.
The founders of these vineyards came from very different backgrounds, but they had this in common: they were adventurers as well as winemakers. They were willing to leave the more easily farmed valley floor for a risky and labor-intensive experiment that they believed would improve the quality of their wines.
Lone Canyon Ranch was once a small part of Mariano Vallejo's vast holdings, a portion of which was given as a gift to George Yount in the 1830's. He in turn gave a portion of the land to Charles Hopper, who planted his first vines in the area in 1877. Hopper was a trapper and trader who came to California in 1841 with the first immigrant wagon train. The narrative of his adventures includes tales of keeping starvation at bay by eating grizzly bears and their own mules, and confrontations not only with the native Indians but with General Vallejo himself. In January of 1997, when Ladera purchased Lone Canyon Ranch, remnants of an overgrown early vineyard could still be seen on rugged canyon slopes- the Napa Valley version of a Wild West ghost town.
By contrast, Ladera's Howell Mountain vineyard was considered from the very beginning to be a little piece of France, and was named Nouveau Medoc Vineyard by the men who founded it. Jean Brun, a native of Bordeaux, and W.J. Chaix, whom he met in Napa, first planted 20 acres of Medoc grapes on Howell Mountain in 1877- among the first to plant vineyards up on Howell Mountain instead of on the Napa Valley floor. In 1886 Brun & Chaix completed a three-story winery building with thirty-inch thick stone walls, which received this notice in the October 15, 1886 issue of the St. Helena Star: "The grape growing and the manufacture of wine of a superior quality is no further an experiment in this mountainous district, as evidenced by the fact of the substantial and costly character of the improvements that are gradually being carried on in connection with this industry…Now all doubts are removed on that score and they are the men to reap the reward which they justly deserve." One of those rewards was a Bronze Medal in the 1889 Paris World Competition.
We work hard to be good stewards of our unique and historical lands and buildings. The rewards of coaxing the absolute best wines from our two properties are immensely exciting. Each is so different, and yet each expresses its version of the varietal in the unmistakable language of mountain vineyards.
Our name stands to remind us of the nature of our vineyards, our fruit and our wines…hillside, intense, distinct.
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Red Wine
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White Wine
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Sparkling Wine & Champagne
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Kosher
Wine which is produced and bottled under strict supervision and meets all standards to be certified Kosher.
Organic
Wine which is produced using organic practices and is free of all synthetic chemicals, antibiotics, hormones and pesticides.
Biodynamic
Biodynamic designation is regulated by Demeter, an international certification organization. Biodynamic agriculture is based on the view of a farm as a self-contained organism. Certified organic vineyards must meet Demeter"s additional criteria for a period of one year before earning the designation "biodynamic."
Sustainably Grown
Sustainable practices incorporate organic standards and may exceed them and include ecologically and socially sound business practices such as fair pay for farm workers and energy conservation.
Screw Cap
Wines sealed with a screw cap as opposed to a cork, which experts report protects and preserves wine more effectively than does a cork, while also eliminating the possibility of cork taint.
No Sulfites
All wines naturally contain some sulfites, however wines that contain less than 10 parts per million sulfites are not required to include "Contains Sulfites" on their labels.
Futures
Wines that are still in the barrel and have yet to be bottled. Futures offer the opportunity to invest in a wine before it arrives in our store.
Pre-arrivals
Like futures, pre-arrivals are wines that have not yet arrived on our shelves, however they may or may not be a new release. Pre-arrivals may already be bottled and en route to our store.
Wine Advocate
The Wine Advocate is a bimonthly wine publication featuring the consumer advice of wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. Initially titled The Baltimore-Washington Wine Advocate the first issue was published in 1978. Accepting no advertising, the newsletter publishes in excess of 7,500 reviews per year, utilizing Parker's rating system that employs a 50-100 point quality scale.
Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator is a lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertainment pieces. Each issue also includes from 400 to more than 1,000 wine reviews, which consist of wine ratings and tasting notes.
International Wine Cellar
Since 1997, the 100% subscriber-supported IWC has also been available in French and Japanese editions.
Wine Enthusiast
Wine Enthusiast Magazine is a lifestyle magazine covering wine, food, spirits, travel and entertaining topics. It was founded in 1988 by Adam and Sybil Strum and reaches 686,000 readers. Its wine ratings, conducted by reviewers in major wine-producing areas of the world, are considered an influential gauge for consumers and professionals in the wine industry.
Wine & Spirits
Wine and Spirits is America's practical guide to the straightforward, enlightened enjoyment of fine wine and and premium spirits. We have for 18 years served customers and marketers alike with a lively mix of wine reviews, features, profiles, food and wine pairings, new product introductions, travel pieces, history, opinion and wine business news.
Burghound
Burghound.com was the first of its kind to offer specialized, and more importantly, exhaustive coverage of a specific wine region. The first Issue was released in January of 2001 and there are now subscribers in more than 50 countries and nearly all 50 states. Allen Meadows spends over four months a year in Burgundy and visits more than 300 domaines during that time.
James Halliday
James is one of the world’s leading authorities on Australian wine, matching intelligent, honest reviews with unparalleled knowledge of, and passion for, the wine industry.
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
For thirty-five years, Connoisseurs’ Guide has been the authoritative voice of the California wine consumer. With readers in all fifty states and twenty foreign countries, the Guide is valued by wine lovers everywhere for its honesty and for it strong adherence to the principles of transparency, unbiased, hard-hitting opinions.
James Suckling
I rate wines using the 100-points scale. I have used this point system for close to 25 years. I still believe it is the simplest way to rate a wine, with its origins from grade school in the United States. A wine that I rate 90 points or more is outstanding (A), and worth buying. If I rate a wine 95 points or more (A+), it is a must buy.
View from the Cellar
View From the Cellar, an electronic wine newsletter published bi-monthly by John Gilman.
Wine Journal
Homepage for wine writer, Neal Martin's, "Diary of a Wine Writer".
Malt Advocate
Malt Advocate magazine is America's leading whisky magazine. It's the number one source for whisky information, education and entertainment for whisky enthusiasts.
The Rhone Report
Dedicated to the wines and grapes of the Rhone Valley
Wine Review Online
Wine Review Online was originally conceived by Publisher Robert Whitley as an all-encompassing platform for the many talented wine journalists he came across in his travels as wine columnist for the Creators Syndicate.
All sizes are 750mL unless otherwise noted.
Vintages and ratings subject to change at any time.
All pricing and availability subject to change.
