Aloft Wine

There’s an unmistakable quality to the Cabernet you can grow on this mountain. Situated 1,600 to 1,800 feet above Napa Valley floor, the location, soil profiles and elevation of our Cold Springs Vineyard are enough to make even the most stoic wine geek swoon. The topography is so varied, there’s no single vantage point that gives you a sense of the whole, but rather, it offers little secrets to be discovered around every bend.

It’s hard to explain what it’s like standing here, in a vineyard surrounded by forest, seemingly worlds away… it’s just one of those special places that needs to be experienced firsthand.

Above the fog line, the south-westerly slopes of our favored blocks see cool morning sun, but are protected from the intense afternoon heat. Outcroppings of white tufa and rhyolitic rocks are interspersed with knolls of red and brown loam and iron-rich volcanic ash, which add complexity and amineral character to our grapes.

What started out as pristine forest – home to a family of mountain lions and more rattlers than you can shake a stick at – is now 24 acres of planted vines with five clonal selections of Cabernet Sauvignon and 1 acre of Petit Verdot. Surrounded by fir, pine and Madrone trees, we’ve kept all the native rock and added raptor and bluebird boxes to maintain the biodiversity and sustainability of this land’s wild side. As Peter Sr. says, “Take care of the land and it will take care of you.”