| Grace Family Vineyards | |
|---|---|
| Location | Saint Helena, California, United States |
| Wine region | Napa Valley |
| Appellation | St Helena AVA |
| Other labels | Cornelius Grove Vineyard, Reliquus |
| First vines planted | 1976 |
| First vintage | 1978 |
| Key people |
|
| Cases/yr | 1000 |
| Varietal | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Other products | Olive oil |
| Website | http://www.gracefamilyvineyards.com |
The Grace Family Vineyards is a vineyard and winery in Napa, California. It is widely regarded as one of the original cult wineries [2] in the Napa Valley, and was the first American winery to use the word "family" in its name.[3] [4]
Today the winery manages two estate vineyards with distinct geologies in the St Helena AVA, separated by the West Napa Fault line. Grace estate was formed by a discrete volcanic event 5 million years ago, whereas Heath Canyon Ranch (home to the Cornelius Grove and Heath Canyon vineyards) was formed by a combination of volcanic and fluvial activity some 100 million years ago.[5]
Production has remained very limited.[6]
In 2014, Helen Keplinger took over as winemaker.[7] In 2019, Kathryn Green became the custodian of Grace Family Vineyards.[8]
Some forty years after the first release, the Grace Family Estate and the Cornelius Grove Vineyard wines were both awarded 100 points by Antonio Galloni[9] and James Suckling[10] respectively, with the former also choosing Helen Keplinger as his winemaker of the year.[11]
A third wine, Reliquus, has been produced since 2016, a blend of grapes from the winery's two estate vineyards, farmed to the same standard as the vineyard designate wines, it is aimed as an expression of the vintage as opposed to the distinct terrior, with the intent of being drunk earlier as such it is often found on wine lists of prominent restaurants.[12]