Krupp Brothers Estate is a sprawling collection of over 600,000 vines planted on over 1300 acres...and growing! This winery is located 6 miles in at the end of Soda Canyon Road off of the southern part of Silverado Trail. It is a partnership between Dr. Jan Krupp and his brother as well as ownership coming from a Gordon Getty trust as well as other investors. Jan told us that he loves growing things; after growing up New Jersey he left for California for his medical shool and was exposed to California's long growing seasons; as a result he never left the "golden state". The vineyard land was originally cleared for planting in the early 90's. We jumped in Jan's Land Rover and he drove us through hundreds of acres of grapes on dirt roads with grapes in all directions as far as you can see.
Jan told us about rocks the size of his own vehicle which were moved. This has been a major undertaking and Jan estimates over 500,000 tons of rock were moved to make way for the vineyards. There were vineyards planted in the area in the late 1800's but those owners did not have the equipment to move the large rocks and they just planted around them. After workers would dynamite the huge rocks, it would then take a week to even clear them. For the most part Stagecoach Vineyards are off the radar of most Napa wine consumers. This is slowly changing as Krupp Brothers increases their production, other vintners use their grapes, their vines mature and the word gets out that these grapes are producing quality wine!
After the vineyard tour we sat down with Jan and tasted through several of his wines. His son has been the winemaker and convinced his father to branch out into other wines besides the core varietals of Cabernet and Merlot. As a result, Krupp Brothers now makes a well-rounded selection of wine including several nice white wines. They have three labels; Veraison, Black Bart and their Estate Wines. The Black Bart label was named after the notorious stage coach robber Black Bart who took down some stagecoaches nearby the main vineyard property. We started out with their Marsanne a delicious structured floral wine with a slightly viscous mouth feel and flavors of peach. For a white wine, this has a very long finish. Not every Napa winery makes a Marsanne and it was a treat to taste it here.
We also had the privilege of sampling their Black Bart's Bride before it was released. Again this is a delicious white composed of Marsanne, Viognier and a lower amount of Chardonnay. That is just the whites! They have a large selection of wonderful reds including our favorite, their Cabernet Sauvignon made under the Estate label; it is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy Syrah? Krupp Estate makes a 100% varietal and also a Syrah Rose. You can taste their wines at A Dozen Vintners in St. Helena and if you would like to taste & buy additional Krupp Brothers wine, consider making an appointment. Visit: www.kruppbrothersestates.com
|
 |
 |
Open to Public: No
Appointments: Yes
Regular Tours: No
Hours: Call
Phone: 226-2215
Address: 3265 Soda Canyon Road, Napa
 Winery Photos Winery Website
|
|
|
|
