Oakville Ranch

Oakville Ranch is a beautiful hillside estate property located in the Oakville appellation in the hills on the east side of Napa Valley at an elevation of about 1,000 feet. Their location is among some of the most premium vineyard real estate in the valley – with several prestigious wineries as neighbors (including Ovid and Dalla Valle). They are not open to the general public due to the isolated location and restrictive permit use. The 370-acre ranch is planted to nearly 70 acres of vines organized into 7 distinctive blocks and was purchased by Bob & Mary Miner in 1989, the same year the Miner’s harvested and produced their first wine from the property. In 2020 Oakville Ranch purchased the neighboring Saunders Vineyard and its approximately 10 acres of vines.

The name Oakville Ranch predates the Miner family ownership (the earliest we can find reference to the name Oakville Ranch was in the early 1980s; the ranch was purchased in 1980 by five different ownership parties including John Scully and Don Kelleher (the owner of Kelleher Family Vineyard and whose family owns Brix Restaurant just north of Yountville). For several years in the early 1980s the property was rented out as a retreat.

The property has been owned by a number of families prior to the 1980s; in the 1970s it was owned by lawyer William (Bill) McPherson of the Fairfield based firm, McPherson & Barnett and his wife Kim; in 1973 Bill unsuccessfully ran for state senate. An article in the October 30, 1973, issue of the St. Helena Star referenced Bill managing existing vineyards on the property. We need to conduct more research, but this is the earliest we have found records indicating grapes growing on the property.

In the early 1940s the property was associated with Mert E. Robertson and a J.P. Twomey. An article from the Napa Journal in 1942 references the U.S. Army placing a rare Remount Stallion on the property for the purposes of improving the quality and quantity of riding horses in the county.

Bob Miner was one of the four co-founders of Software Development Labs in 1977 along with Ed Oates, Bruce Scott and Larry Ellison who joined the firm soon after it was founded. This company later transitioned into Oracle; Bob remained with Oracle until 1993. The auditorium inside the SFJAZZ Center is named in his honor, the Robert Miner Auditorium. After he passed far too young at age 52 in 1994 from a rare form of lung cancer, Mary took over the management of the property.

In addition to overseeing Oakville Ranch, Mary is also actively involved in the Baker Street Foundation, a nonprofit that over the years has offered numerous grants to various organizations in San Francisco including to arts, education and medical.

Of note, the Miner’s also used to own the property that is now home to Miner Family Winery and made their own wines here and operated it as a custom crush facility (Miner Family Wines was one of their clients). The owner of Miner Family Winery, Dave Miner is Bob’s nephew and for some time managed the operations at Oakville Ranch. There is no physical winery on Oakville Ranch, rather the wines are produced at a state-of-the-art cellar in the Oak Knoll District.

Oakville Ranch is a highly regarded location for growing Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux red varieties. However, they also have two somewhat unusual varieties growing on the property (especially for a hillside location in eastern Oakville). A small block of Grenache grows towards the eastern side of the property and a 1.2-acre block of Chardonnay is planted on the western side of the property.

We have been driven through the vineyards in an ATV several times; this is a vehicle ideally suited for navigating the often-steep terrain of the property. The views are stunning from parts of the property especially on the western edges with intimate views overlooking much of Napa Valley. We call Oakville Ranch the elevated Porch of Napa Valley. On a clear day one can see all the way down to the glistening waters of the San Pablo Bay (which connects to the San Francisco Bay). Views of their property are of vines, rocks (Napa’s “2nd most extensive crop” after grapes), beautiful red soils and chaparral. The property ranges in elevation from about 600 feet to around 1,100 feet. Most of the property is in the Oakville sub appellation but a very small section is in Pritchard Hill.

Much of the grapes produced on the property are sold to a select number of premium winery clients and noted winemakers including Rosemary Cakebread, Helen Keplinger and Andy Erickson. Oakville Ranch sources from specific vineyard blocks for their own wines.

The soils are shallow, low in nutrients, red, and very rocky – ideal growing conditions for producing small bunches of grapes with higher skin to juice ratios, with yields extremely low compared to valley floor grown fruit. While these soils are not the best for other agricultural crops, they are ideally suited for wine grapes which produce intensely flavored wines.

Due to their location and exposure, the property receives plenty of afternoon sunshine and warm temperatures during the growing season. Still it tends to be several degrees cooler here than neighbors on the lower hillsides. To mitigate some of the most hottest times of the year which often occur around Labor Day weekend, since 2017 select blocks in their vineyards utilize misters which lower the temperature up to 10 degrees. These use relatively little water per vine based on the minute droplets of water sprayed. Shade cloths are also used as is Surround (using a base of naturally occurring Kaolin), a product that coats the grapes with a protective film guarding against sunburn and effectively creating a lower temperature.

Dan Sakai, owner of Skylark Landscaping, Inc. has referred to their property and its particular elevation within Napa Valley as being a, ‘pineapple belt’ referring to the fact its elevation keeps the site mostly frost free. And there are even banana trees growing on the property which produce small fruits.

Their vineyards are certified organic by CCOF. Well known organic farmer Phil Coturri founded his own viticulture company in the late 1970s – Enterprise Vineyards and oversees vineyards in both Sonoma and Napa Valley. He has overseen the management of the Oakville Ranch vineyards since 2007; one of his primary axioms is establishing soil diversity and increasing its organic material. We have seen him several times over the years during our visits to the property. He seems most at home when he is out in the vineyards. He is also the founder of Sonoma based Winery Sixteen 600.

The property is managed with a holistic perspective with the intent to promote and facilitate biodiversity. This includes the use of raptor, owl and songbird boxes to encourage nesting and also the development of insectaries.

The estate is stunning with panoramic views of Napa Valley below; also noteworthy are a number of sculptures including one by Henry Moore. Solar panels provide 100% of their daily electrical needs. Other features of the property include gardens, beehives, an old home built in the early 1900s as well as another building that dates from the later 1800s.

During Prohibition, wine was secretly made here, working on dirt floors with tanks and barrels. To avoid detection, government officials sealed the barrels, but the family filled the barrels with rocks so they couldn’t easily be moved – and found a way to “thieve” the wine out. The hollow walls in the barn were also used to conceal liquor during Prohibition.

A beautiful Lord & Burnham Conservatory dating from 1937 was reconstructed on the property in the late 1990s and is home to orchids, palms and various tropical plants. This conservatory previously was located on a property owned by Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison. Lord & Burnham was founded in 1849 and was in business until 1988 when it was acquired by Under Glass Manufacturing Co. Over the decades the company became well known for their conservatories including the Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Select Wines
The focus of Oakville Ranch’s production is on limited production all estate wines including a Grenache rosé, Chardonnay, a red field blend, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc blend simply called O. The wines are respective of this site, its soils and its exposure.

Chardonnay
Oakville Ranch is one of the few producers in Napa Valley with a planting of Chardonnay at or above 800 feet ASL – and certainly one of very few in Oakville growing Chardonnay. There used to be more Chardonnay at Oakville Ranch but presently only 1.2 acres grow in a cooler part of the property. Their Chardonnay comes from the Bobcat Block.

The 2024 Oakville Ranch Chardonnay, Napa Valley is medium gold in color; the bouquet showcases the varietal fruit rather than oak or butter character. This wine was aged in 25% new French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation is only partial, depending on how much occurs naturally during primary fermentation, with the goal of maintaining acid balance and finishing in the 3.45–3.50 pH range. This wine features ripe fruit but also plenty of brightness. The nose offers aromas of pineapple, honeycomb, honeysuckle, vanilla, baked apple, pear, and stone fruits including apricot and yellow peaches. And some tropical notes including mango and papaya. This wine tastes like vanilla, yellow peach and apricot. A bit more oak is perceived on the palate than the bouquet, especially on the finish. Persists with a lightly spicy character which runs in tandem with the fruit on the finish. Fleshy in terms of its texture, this weight is balanced nicely by the lively acidity.

Winemaker Jennifer Rue (first vintage at Oakville Ranch) begins tasting the Oakville Ranch Chardonnay in January, stirring twice a week, then tapering to about once a week depending on taste and texture. The wine typically spends 10–11 months in barrel and is usually bottled in July. In May of 2024, their Chardonnay block was damaged by severe frost and as a result, about 35% of the Chardonnay was lost.

The 2021 Oakville Ranch Chardonnay is medium gold in color; the delightful aromas are wide open and show both a union of floral, stone and tropical fruits. This wine offers scents of star jasmine, honeysuckle and lilac. It also offers honeycomb, butter, pineapple, white peach and apricot. As this wine opens and warms in the glass additional aromas evolve including of vanilla and butterscotch. This wine smells like dessert. The palate is as richly diverse as the aromatics and offers flavors of apricot, nectarine, peach, ripe papaya, vanilla and other dessert spices. It is texturally layered with a noticeable viscosity across the palate. A Chardonnay this rich and intense needs to have a supporting acidity, and it does. The finish is long and rich, laden with both fruits, dessert spices and a vivid acidity. Every year depending on vintage variation relating to pH and acidity this bottling goes through different percentages of malolactic fermentation usually about 25%. The wine was fermented in barrel of which 25% was new French oak and then aged for 10 months in 35% new French oak tightly grained barrels of medium toast.

The 2015 Oakville Ranch Chardonnay was produced from yields that were much lower than in a normal vintage. In addition, these grapes were harvested the earliest on record for the vineyard block – picked on August 24th. The wine was fermented entirely in barrel and underwent full malolactic fermentation. It is very aromatic with notes of citrus (orange) and citrus blossom with some spicier notes as well. Despite the full secondary fermentation, this wine shows plenty of acidity which is tempered by a noticeable weight. This bottling is a rich representation of this varietal. The finish is extended but very lively due to its brightness.

Grenache Rosé
And while nearly all the Oakville Ranch property is in the Oakville sub appellation, a tiny section of this Grenache block is not and is considered Napa Valley (or Pritchard Hill). And this is the only Grenache currently planted in Oakville.

The 2021 Oakville Ranch Napa Valley Grenache Rosé was put direct to press and pressed as whole clusters, fermented in stainless steel tanks and then transferred to stainless steel drums and one neutral oak barrel (previously used for Chardonnay) for three months before bottling. This wine is salmon/copper colored in the glass; the bouquet offers a flinty minerality, citrus blossom, lemon juice, orange peel zest and deeper in the aromatics a light nuance of mint. A couple of characteristics which stand out in this bottling are its freshness and brightness from the acidity, its creamy and supple texture and its lingering richness of flavor. Jennifer calls this her ‘yin and yang’ wine with the acidity balanced out by the texture. It offers flavors of strawberry, raspberry, kumquat, pomelo and a lasting note of grapefruit. Recently, some of our favorite rosé wines have been made from Grenache.

Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2022 Oakville Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley is deep ruby; the bouquet is not as ripe as we were expecting from a warm vintage. This wine is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc. The nose initially offers some non-fruited character with sweaty saddle leather, old cedar, tobacco and loamy soil. And bramble including dark raspberry and blackberry. And dark plum. As the wine evolves, the fruit becomes more prominent. On the palate there are dark fruited flavors including of Santa Rosa plum, boysenberry, dark raspberry, and a light ferrous/minerally thread. Superbly balanced with a savory bent. And higher acidity than we were expecting. The tannins are lightly gripping, ripe and resolved, persisting with a gentle dusty and earthy character and a light note of dried tobacco leaf. The acidity tugs nicely keeping this wine bright on the finish.

The 2018 Oakville Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc. Each block for this wine was harvested and then fermented separate from each other. It spent 20 months in 100% French oak barrels of which 70% was new. This wine is deep ruby in color; the bouquet initially offers a varietal herbal and or minty character along with some darker pepper spices (especially noticeable immediately after smelling and tasting the Oakville Ranch Zinfandel) but this quickly makes way for plenty of darker fruits including ripe blackberries, boysenberry and blueberry along with a light mint/wintergreen note. These aromas are complemented by secondary spices including dark chocolate, mocha, espresso, vanilla, Graham cracker and sweet tobacco. The palate is opulent, rich, mouth filling and ripe, showing flavors of blackberry, boysenberry and dark plum. It lingers with a dark tobacco spice, crushed peppercorn, cedar wood and chalky, lightly drying tannins of a light to moderate grip. If we were to summarize this wine’s texture in one word, it would be: comfortable.

Oakville Ranch, Napa Valley
The Oakville Ranch Napa Valley was first produced in 2014; its inception was a barrel selection made from lots being used for Robert’s Blend. This wine continues to be a barrel selection each year and is usually a production of around 50 cases. It is always a proprietary blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2021 Oakville Ranch, Napa Valley Red Wine is deep ruby and opaque; the bouquet is a pleasing union of darker fruits and barrel, with its time in oak offering a complementary character. This wine reveals aromas of lavender, a light ferrous/rusting iron note, chalk, blackberry, boysenberry, baker’s chocolate and as it opens, a layer of dark cocoa powder. This is a powerful but balanced wine with flavors of blackberry, boysenberry, Persian mulberry and red cherry and a ferrous/minerally element. Finishes with a firm tannic tug and a dusty character which offers plenty of persistence, and far outpaces the fruit on the finish. It is bright with lots of energy and depth in terms of both structure, flavor and lively acidity. This wine can be as cerebral as you want it to be or just simply enjoy without examination. In a blind tasting we would not have guessed its listed ABV as 15.1%. And in terms of aging, don’t let it’s 15%+ ABV scare you; this wine will age. Its élevage was for 21 months in 100% new French oak barrels including one Darnajou and one François Frères. No 2017, 2020 or 2022 vintages were produced of this wine, due to issues with smoke or heat.

The 2015 Oakville Ranch, Napa Valley Red Wine offers an attractive union of floral, ripe fruit, and dessert spice aromatics. The bouquet showcases generous ripe fruit, with blackberry and boysenberry at the forefront, complemented by additional layers of dark chocolate, a subtle herbal nuance, and hints of lavender. The entry is soft and plush, immediately coating the palate with an abundance of darker fruits, again led by blackberry and boysenberry, alongside a touch of cocoa and warm spice. The texture is supple and inviting, with a rounded mid-palate that emphasizes richness without excess weight. The finish lingers softly, framed by fine-grained, feathered tannins that provide gentle structure. This is a hedonistic showing, expressive and approachable, without any accompanying heavy structure or austerity. The wine spent 23 months in 85% new French oak barrels.

Field Blend
In 2011 a small block of head-trained vines was planted; today this section of the vineyard contains both Zinfandel and Petite Sirah and is the only head-pruned block on the entire property. Some Primitivo used to be planted at Oakville Ranch, but this has since been budded over to Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, both planted on St. George rootstock. The last vintage that included Primitivo in the blend was in 2012. Both the Petite Sirah and Zinfandel are harvested simultaneously and then co-fermented. The softening tannins in the Petite Sirah is a key indicator as the expected harvest date is approached. This wine is an homage to the field blends that used to be produced from the property.

The 2023 Oakville Ranch, Field Blend is a blend of 76% Zinfandel and 24% Petite Sirah. This wine is deep ruby and opaque; not jammy, and not over ripe, either on the bouquet or the palate, this wine smells like blackberry, dark cherry, boysenberry, Himalayan purple mulberry and dark chocolate. Dark fruited with flavors of blackberry, boysenberry, Persian mulberry and Satsuma plum. Bright with plenty of energy from the lively acidity. We love the texture here, with perhaps most of its contribution coming from the Petite Sirah. The tannins are gravelly, and lightly grainy with a persistent drying but never edgy character. And their presence is felt more on the front of the palate. The wine was aged in approximately 28% new French oak barrels. Regardless of vintage, both varieties always hold onto their acid very well. This is a highly age-worthy bottling.

The 2019 Oakville Ranch Field Blend is a blend of 86% Zinfandel and 14% Petite Sirah. It is deep ruby with an amaranthine rim – its darkness in the glass is immediately noticeable (thank you Petite Sirah). The nose is wide open and expressive of darker fruits including boysenberry, blackberry, plum and blackberry pie. If California sunshine could be bottled up and presented as a bouquet of ripe summer fruits, it would be this particular wine. Or as Jennifer calls it, “an aromatic extravaganza.” The ripeness on the bouquet continues onto the palate with flavors echoing the aromatics including of dark cherry, chocolate and a light but dark and savory spice which lingers on the finish. The tannins are soft, rounded and are seamlessly integrated. One of our favorite wine grapes to pick right from the vine at the peak of their ripeness is Zinfandel. The finish on this wine almost mimics those ripe grapes. Other than in 2017, every year both varieties are harvested simultaneously and co-fermented (including this vintage). This wine was fermented for 17 days and then spent 18 months in 20% new French oak barrels and 80% used. High octane; it is 16.1% alcohol.

The 2014 Oakville Ranch Field Blend was a nod to early wines in Napa Valley, when multiple varieties were grown side by side, harvested together and fermented in the same lot—a blend shaped first by the vineyard rather than by decisions in the cellar. This particular bottling is composed of 73% Zinfandel and 27% Petite Sirah, combining Zinfandel’s exuberant fruit with the deeper color and structure of Petite Sirah. Ripe notes of blackberry—think blackberry jam just beginning to warm on the stove—show clearly on the bouquet, immediately suggesting the Zinfandel influence. The aromatics also carry a touch of peppery spice along with hints of dark plum and a faint suggestion of baking spice that emerge with a little time in the glass. Ripe on the palate, the wine delivers a generous core of dark fruit framed by a soft, approachable texture. The Petite Sirah contributes a bit of depth and structure, but the overall feel remains open and easygoing. This wine drinks very well on its own in its youth, offering plenty of fruit and spice without needing food to show its charm.

Robert’s Cabernet Franc
This wine is made each year in honor of Bob Miner.

The 2022 Oakville Ranch Robert’s Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley is 88% Cabernet Franc and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is wine deep ruby and nearly opaque; on the bouquet there are scents of tobacco, old cedar, lavender, lilacs, blackberry, boysenberry, and dark plum. And a light note of cocoa powder. Be patient here, let the wine breathe and as the varietal character from the Cabernet Franc becomes more pronounced. This is as elegant a bouquet as one can find from eastern hills of Napa Valley from this particular vintage. Balanced and beautiful at 4 years post vintage, this wine tastes like dark plum, boysenberry, blackberry, raspberry and dark mulberry. Finishes with a light savory, earthy and chalky character, this latter presence that Jennifer attributes to the warmer year. And a bright and persistent acidity, a bit uncharacteristic for the warmer vintage. The presence of the tannins fully and broadly coat the palate persisting with a dusty and chalky feel. The grapes were harvested in early to mid September. The amount of new oak during élevage was less this particular year. Their Cabernet Franc tolerated the heat particularly well this year.

The 2016 Oakville Ranch Robert’s Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley is 82% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon; this wine is medium to deep ruby in color. For reference, we tasted this six years post vintage. The eastern exposure of this site is evident in the bouquet. It is sweetly, fruited, ripe and offers both fruit and sweet barrel influences. Almost liqueur-like or fortified- it smells like cherry pie, blackberry jam, boysenberry jelly, dark licorice, brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Forward fruited, and just as ripe as the bouquet, this wine tastes like cherry pie, raspberry, blackberry jam, Himalayan purple mulberry, prune, licorice and dark chocolate. The tannins are well tumbled with a light gravelly character. Finishes with a light, dusty nuance and a note of sweet tobacco. In a blind tasting, we would easily identify this wine as being ripe, but we’re not so sure we could identify it as Cabernet Franc.

The 2012 Oakville Ranch Robert’s Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley is 98% Summit Block Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. This wine initially shows a smoky characteristic on the bouquet, but as it opens that note gradually gives way to a generous core of fruit, including red and black cherry and ripe blackberry, along with a more subtle floral component that adds lift and complexity. With a bit of air the aromatics continue to broaden, revealing a pleasing balance between the darker fruit tones and its more delicate nuances. Fairly supple on the palate, the wine carries its fruit with a smooth texture while maintaining a sense of freshness and structure. It finishes with earthy, slightly drying tannins that linger, adding a rustic edge and suggesting the wine still has some life ahead of it.

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Oakville Ranch utilizes lighter glass for their bottles, as low as 450 grams/bottle.

Oakville Ranch has been extremely supportive of the Napa Valley Vintners and their charity efforts including in the past, the Napa Valley Auction. One of their former General Managers, Paula Kornell chaired one of the auctions. Oakville Ranch donates 1% of their total gross profits to an organization called 1% For The Planet – funds from businesses who participate in this are distributed to organizations protecting the environment worldwide.

Total production is just under 1,000 cases annually. For more information, to schedule a visit to the property, to purchase wines or to become a member through their Terrace Club or the Oakville Ranch Allocation, visit: www.oakvilleranch.com

The “signs” of Oakville Ranch

Vineyards/property

Oakville Ranch, historic greenhouse