Yount Ridge Cellars. The original property associated with Yount Ridge Cellars is located in the southern part of the Oakville appellation bordering Highway 29. This is a coveted vineyard neighborhood; the property is situated next to Cardinale, across from Far Niente and near the Morlet Family owned and prized Coeur de Vallée Vineyard. The winery is named in tribute to George Yount, whose vast land grant encompassed this part of Napa Valley including the original site of Yount Ridge Cellars.
George Yount (namesake of Yountville) and one of the earliest western settlers in Napa Valley built a log block house in 1836 to the east of the original Yount Ridge Cellars property. This block house is long since gone and the site is currently covered with rows of grapevines. Yount’s two-story adobe house also stood nearby, built in 1837. For reference, the first ‘western’ recorded exploration of the Napa Valley was only 13 years prior in 1823 led by Padre José Altimira, the founder of Mission San Francisco Solano in the town of Sonoma.
While no records remain that show the date of Yount’s first non-commercial winemaking – perhaps it was in the early 1840s after his vineyard matured. Records do show that he made some non-commercial wine by the late 1840s. This was the first ever wine produced in the Napa Valley by western settlers.
Yount Ridge Cellars was founded by Eric Sklar; he has been in the wine business for many years including as one of the founders of Alpha Omega Winery along with numerous other ventures such as founder of Burrito Brothers in 1989, a Washington DC based small restaurant chain and later, co-founder of the Napa Valley Cannabis Association. He was vice-mayor for the town of St. Helena for nearly 8 years. He has also served as the commissioner of the California Fish & Game Commission since 2015.
In 2024 Yount Ridge Cellars was sold to Assemblage Retail Group. Other brands that are included within their portfolio include Conn Creek, Cornerstone, Hibou, Tilth and Sinnet. Wines from some of their brands can be tasted at the Yount Room in Yountville (opened in early 2026).
The original Yount Ridge Vineyard is 25 acres, organically farmed and planted to Sauvignon Blanc and several Bordeaux red varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Grapes from this vineyard have been selectively used in premium wines including what was Entres Nous, made by Philippe Melka.
Winemakers
Founding winemaker, Celia Welch specializes in consulting for premium wineries and is well known throughout Napa Valley for her attention to detail and high-quality wines. Celia is based in Napa Valley and has produced more than 30 vintages during her career. She consults for several premium clients.
Born and raised in Medford, Oregon, her introduction to wine came early through her father’s passion for wine. He was a home winemaker and collector, and she grew up helping him make wine. Her first introduction to Napa Valley was in the 1960s during trips with her family. She graduated from UC Davis in 1982 with a degree B.S. degree in Fermentation Science at a time when a number of now prominent women winemakers were enrolled including Pam Starr and Heidi Peterson Barrett and others who work in Napa and beyond.
Continuing her education after graduating, she embarked in extensive travels through a number of wine regions including domestically in the Pacific Northwest, the East Coast and then New Zealand – finally working in the Barossa Valley in Australia. She then moved to Napa Valley and worked at several wineries including Silverado Vineyards in 1987, was assistant winemaker at Robert Pepi Winery (now the home of Cardinale) and began her consulting career in 1992 for Staglin Family Winery.
Her focus on consulting is generally for premium producers who own their own vineyards (rather than labels who source fruit) and often (but not always) from hillside locations in Napa Valley. And her work has been highly recognized throughout the industry; in 2008 she was named Winemaker of the Year by Food and Wine Magazine and has been inducted into the Winemakers Hall of Fame through the organization, Women for Winesense.
Starting in 2021, Jean Hoefliger took over the winemaking for Yount Ridge. Jean was born and raised in Laussane Switzerland; he has a degree in winemaking and viticulture degree from École d’ingénieurs de Changins in Nyon, Switzerland. He has worked at a number of wineries in Europe including Château Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux and further afield Meerlust Inc., in South Africa. The first winery he worked at was Clos de la Republique Fonjallaz Patrick on the shores of beautiful Lake Geneva. Jean came to Napa Valley in 2001 specifically to become the winemaker at Newton Vineyards. Later he was the founding winemaker and General Manager at Alpha Omega Winery. He founded AXR Winery in St. Helena and is their winemaker. In addition, he consults or makes wine for a number of mostly Napa Valley based clients as part of his JH Wine Consulting service.
Select Wines
Whites
We first tried Sauvignon Blanc from this vineyard many years ago at the Taste of Oakville, an annual trade event held at Robert Mondavi Winery every April and featuring wineries with vineyards in Oakville. This is a surprising variety to discover growing in Oakville among premium vineyards mainly planted to red Bordeaux varieties.
The 2016 Yount Ridge Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of both Sauvignon Blanc and about 1/3 Sauvignon Musqué. Barrel fermented the wine aged sur-lie for six months. Golden straw colored in the glass the bouquet shows a sweetness of fruit with lively aromatics including yellow pineapple, honeysuckle and hints of lemon. A noticeable supple feel runs the breadth of the palate – complemented by flavors of pineapple, citrus notes and mineral nuances on the finish. Leans neither toward being too ripe nor to lean, as a result this is a nicely balanced wine. Two characteristics stand out; the pretty aromatics and the wonderful mouth feel. Celia has built her reputation upon the back of creating exceptional red wines, but this, one of only several Sauvignon Blancs she has made, is a wine well worth pursuing. 2017 was the last vintage of Sauvignon produced by Yount Ridge Cellars.
Reds
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2022 Yount Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance being Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This wine is deep ruby in color; highly perfumed, the nose is a harmonious union of both red & dark fruits, floral influences and barrel spices. These scents include dark raspberry, red cherry, Santa Rosa plum, boysenberry, Persian mulberry, lavender, old cedar, dried tobacco leaf and an array of smoked herbs including sage and bay leaf. As the wine evolves it opens to a thread of sweet vanilla. Its aromatic layering is an appealing characteristic of the bouquet. The balanced but driving acidity keeps this wine fresh. The palate is inviting and feels comfortable in terms of its texture and tension between fruit and acidity. This wine tastes like red cherry, blackberry, dark raspberry, boysenberry and red plums. Ripe, soft and rounded tannins anchor a seamless finish. This wine was aged for 26 months in French oak barrels. It drinks well by itself, but in terms of pairing we would enjoy this with a lighter cut of meat, perhaps grilled lamb or duck.
The 2014 Yount Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley features darker fruit on the bouquet with a noticeable dustiness or earthy note. There is plenty of fruit, namely plum along with a tobacco leaf, old cedar, cigar smoke and vanilla. Let this wine open – it is built on elegant layers, of which needs some time to be revealed. Juicy with excellent acidity, the palate delivers flavors of red and darker cherries anchored by a mouthwatering finish. Lively acidity, a density of fruit and tender slightly dusty tannins linger for quite some time. But is is mostly the fruit here that leaves the lasting impression.
Oak Knoll District Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2022 Yount Ridge Red Wine, Oak Knoll District Sunshine Valley Vineyards is deep ruby and nearly opaque; sumptuous, generous and fruity, this bouquet smells riper than its refreshing listed 13.9% ABV. Its scents include blackberry at the peak of ripeness, an aromatic that reminds us of childhood fighting our way through thickets of bramble eating more blackberries than we ever collected, raspberry jam, boysenberry, Himalayan purple mulberry, bruised Santa Rosa plums, cherry pie and dark licorice. And some floral tones including African violets and lilacs. As the wine evolves it opens to additional aromas of mocha and baker’s chocolate. Superbly balanced, this wine sings a tune that will be appreciated by most. Its flavors include dark cherry, blackberry, boysenberry, ripe plums and dark chocolate with a thread of bright acidity that provides some lift, especially noticeable on the finish. This wine lingers with rounded and chalky textured tannins, their lightly drying grip persisting beyond the fruit. Drink this with your significant other, cozied up to each other on a couch in front of a warm fire in the winter for best results.
Jean was already familiar the Sunshine Valley Vineyards having produced wine from this valley floor property under the brand SVV.
Epic Cabernet Sauvignon
For their flagship wine, simply named Epic, the best barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon were selected from the property from that particular vintage. The 2014 Yount Ridge Cellars Epic is 100% varietal. The dark fruit aromatics are slightly brooding until the wine has a chance to open. Somewhat savory, the scents show dark spices, black olive, bittersweet chocolate and raspberry. On the palate one immediately notices the density of fruit with layers of flavor anchored by well-structured but not gritty tannins. Slightly chewy in nature. This is a robust wine, yet, its not out of balance. This bottling is built to age, but can certainly be enjoyed in its youth.
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The gold logo on the bottles immediately catches one’s eye; it is a stair step conceptual design of a gravity flow winery embossed with a thumbprint pattern to represent the heart of Napa Valley. Ultimately however, this winery was never built.
While the first commercial release was from the 2014 vintage, Celia made wine for the Sklars since 2006. And once they released the 2014 vintage, they decided to label the older vintages under Yount Ridge Cellars.
Total production is around 1,000 cases per year. The wines are available in small amounts in Texas, Florida and several other states. Locally some of the wines might be found at ACME Wine shop in St. Helena, the Bounty Hunter in the city of Napa and area restaurants including Morimoto and Mustards Grill. For more information and or to join their wine club, visit: www.yountridge.com
ARCIVED NOTES AND PHOTOGRAPHS
The Residence at Yount Ridge
They also operate the Residence at Yount Ridge, formerly the Mansion at Yount Ridge and before that, called the Castle in the Clouds, a bed & breakfast perched on the top of one of the Yountville Mounts (small hills that rise above the valley floor).
The Residence at Yount Ridge is reached via a steep driveway leading off of Highway 29 just north of Yountville. The Residence features 6,300 square feet (interior) with plenty of space outside on the deck – the best views are from the rooftop deck. The space includes two kitchens, a primary one indoors and a smaller one outdoors and several contemporary looking rooms. This is a rare site indeed with a B&B located on top of one of the coveted hills rising from the valley floor. And it is located within a short drive of some of Napa’s finest restaurants – located in nearby Yountville (arguably the culinary capital of the valley).
The property is listed on BeautifulPlaces (a villa rental agency focusing on California wine country properties); reservations require a two-night minimum stay.
Most people driving by the property on busy Highway 29 may not be aware there is a cave located under the hill; it is a short distance in on the driveway leading to The Residence at Yount Ridge. This cave was drilled by Napa Valley modern wine cave pioneer Alf Burtelson. Alf is well into his 80s now and long since retired although is still living in the northern part of Napa Valley.
The Mansion at Yount Ridge
Burrito Brothers, Capitol Hill Washington DC
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