Ackerman Family Vineyards

Ackerman Family Vineyards is owned and operated by Lauren Ackerman, long time resident of Napa Valley. Lauren previously lived and worked in the Silicon Valley and has enjoyed fine wine for many years. She has a degree in public relations and business from USC and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She worked in high tech for many years (marketing and brand building). Her husband at the time, Bob was a long-time collector of wines from Napa Valley including some of Heitz Cellars older vintages. They were married at Auberge du Soleil in 1989 and after their honeymoon instinctively knew they wanted to somehow return to live in Napa Valley.

Several years later Bob began looking to buy a horse for Lauren (who is an avid rider) and with a bit of luck, discovered an already planted vineyard piece of property (called Stonehaven Vineyard) in the southern part of the Coombsville appellation located just east of the town of Napa. The horses he was interested in were housed on this property.

Unbeknownst to Lauren, Bob initially met with the real estate agent to look at this property for a possible purchase. Later he invited Lauren to “start looking” but had told the real estate agent previously to pretend that she had never met Bob. This way it would appear that the “first” piece of land they looked at would be the last one. Instead of just purchasing the horses, the Ackerman’s purchased the land and the horses were included in the deal. There was already a vineyard planted but over time blocks were replaced and since their purchase the entire vineyard has been replanted. The 16-acre site has approximately 11 acres planted to vine, initially all to clone 337 of Cabernet Sauvignon but approximately an acre was grafted over in 2011 to additional varieties including Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.

Lauren began producing home-wine in 1995; this was well before their first commercial release bottled under Ackerman Family Vineyards in 2003. Years of making wine before bottling it commercially, allowed her to learn about all the various nuances of the vineyard and fine-tune their wines as well as establishing important relationships in Napa Valley (which would later be extremely beneficial).

As of our latest update to this review, Ackerman Family Vineyards currently sells some of their grapes and produces up to 2,000 cases per year. If they decide to grow their production in the future, they can do so from the estate as their vineyard produces more grapes than they currently use.

Initially 100% of their total net profits were donated to the Napa Valley Community Foundation. This foundation is a philanthropic bank for nonprofits which connects donors to various charity projects (focusing on youth and poverty). Out of well over 1,100 unique producers in Napa Valley there are only several producers in which the focus of their production and business model is to provide a significant amount of their net proceeds directly to the community. Lauren has also served as a trustee and chairwoman for the Napa Valley Community Foundation.

A few days before we first met Lauren in Coombsville for this initial review in 2009, their vineyard had just been officially certified CCOF organic – a process that takes a little over 3 years to complete. This was Coombsville’s first CCOF organic vineyard; for reference the first CCOF vineyards in Napa Valley date from the early 1990s soon after the CCOF program was started. Lauren has farmed her vineyard sustainably since the land was purchased, however having the certification certainly validates her efforts. Coombsville is known as a cooler region compared to central and more northern parts of Napa Valley; this region is located fairly close to the moderating influences of the cold waters of the San Pablo Bay to the south. This proximity results in a rather long growing season usually producing slow and even ripening. Lauren remembers their earliest harvest coming towards the end of the September (unusual) with their latest harvest coming on November 5th (extremely late for this part of the valley). Their vineyard is trellised with the cooler climate in mind; in this case using an open lyre system to allow the grapes greater exposure to the sun.

In the past Coombsville may have been associated with producing blending fruit for “up valley” wineries, but the fruit coming out of this region today is highly sought after for its combination of finesse, elegance and structure.

Select Wines
Ackerman Vineyards used to only produce a single 100% estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon each year but have since increased the number of their bottlings. With consistency in managing their vineyard, winemaking, and the barrel program, the differences one may taste from year to year are respective of the vintage. Unlike many wines in Napa Valley the Ackerman bottlings tend to be lower in alcohol, typically ranging from the mid 13s to about 14%. Lauren enjoys drinking wines that are versatile, especially wines which can be paired with a variety of foods; these are the types of wines they strive to produce.

In 2021 Ackerman Family Vineyards produced their first Sonoma County wine, a Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma Valley; it saw no oak barrels during its fermentation or aging and was aged for 6 weeks sur lie. This wine is medium gold in color; the aromas are floral including of jasmine, honeysuckle and citrus blossom with a hint of paraffin deep in the bouquet. This wine offers a bright and fresh palate and is zesty from the entry through to the finish with flavors of green apple, tangerine, lemon/lime and a subtle note of lemongrass. Lingers with intense flavors but with a crispness from the lively acidity along with flavors of grapefruit and some minerality nuances. Very balanced.

Ackerman Family Vineyards produced their first ever rosé wine in 2019; they did not make any wines from the estate in 2020 due to smoke taint from nearby wildfires. They typically harvest their vineyard in Coombsville in sections starting first with the top block which ripens earliest, through the middle of the vineyard down to the bottom. The 2021 Ackerman Family Vineyards Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested entirely from their top block. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and was produced by saignée (bleeding off the juice). It saw no oak during its fermentation and aging. This wine is medium to deep pink in color; the aromatics immediately show notes of fresh and sweet watermelon, watermelon jolly ranch candy, raspberry and rose petals and pear (not a common aromatic we find in rosé wines). This is not a lightweight rose, rather it has depth, intensity of flavor and a textural viscosity. Offers flavors of raspberry and citrus, a note similar to licking dusty slate rock and a long fruit-filled finish. This is an ideal bottling from someone who loves Cabernet Sauvignon but doesn’t like the tannins associated with this variety.

The 2018 Ackerman Family Vineyards Memoir is a red blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot. This wine spent 12 months aging in neutral oak barrels. It is deep ruby in color; the bouquet reveals aromas of dark chocolate, ripe blackberry, prune, dark cherry, a hint of dust, cocoa powder and deeper in the aromas, cardamom and a light wintergreen note. This wine offers primarily darker fruit flavors including of plum. The finish is juicy, savory and dark offering silty and fine-grained tannins, crushed peppercorn, mushroom, dark olive and dried tobacco leaf. Its mouthwatering acidity continues to persist for some time.

The 2016 Ackerman Family Vineyards Memoir is led by Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot in the blend. For reference, we tasted this wine 7 years post vintage. It is is deep ruby with an amaranthine rim. The bouquet is darkly fruited including of plum, boysenberry, cherry jam, mulberry and dark chocolate. But there are also some savory characters at play here including bramble and a tobacco spice. The opulent and fruit-forward palate offers flavors of dark plum, cherry and blackberry. The tannins sport a light to moderate grip. They are well-integrated into the finish and are broadly distributed across the palate. This is an easy drinking wine and one that would perhaps pair well with a sausage and pepperoni pizza.

In 2018 Ackerman Family Vineyards produced a very limited bottling for their wine club members, a 100% varietal Petit Verdot from a non-estate vineyard in Coombsville. This wine spent 15 months aging in oak barrels of which 60% was new French oak. Its color is immediately noticeable for its darkness – showing deep ruby and opaque. The aromatics are dark including plum, boysenberry and some darker tobacco spices. This is a well layered wine on the plate showing flavors of blackberry and plum. The tannins are surprisingly ripe, rounded and polished in their textural approach. They linger dusty, earthy and dry with notes of dried tobacco leaf and crushed peppercorn. They are dense but without showing any course edges.

The 2005 Ackerman Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon: we tried this vintage just before its October 2009 release. Ackerman uses all new French Taransaud oak barrels for aging the wines for two years. After bottling, the wine sits for another 2 years before being released to the consumer. Based on their experience with older home vintages, wines from this vineyard age very well. This extra age before being released is never a bad thing for the consumer. The 2005 vintage straddles the line between the more restrained 2003 vintage and the 2004 bottling which shows more fruit.

The 2005 Ackerman Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is dark ruby in the glass with an elegant bouquet that shows some floral notes, blackberry as well as subtle aromas of cigar. The oak is well integrated throughout and certainly does not dominate. This wine shows complex and layered flavors with its structure becoming noticeable from the mid palate onwards; this leads to a finish that is anchored by broad slightly dusty tannins. This is more of a traditional Bordeaux styled wine that will age well yet can also be consumed in its youth, especially with food.

For several vintages, Ackerman Family Vineyards produced Le Chatelaine Napa Valley Red Wine (a five variety Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based blend) also grown at their Coombsville vineyard. Le Chatelaine is French for Mistress of the castle. The 2013 vintage shows a noticeable espresso and mocha characteristic on the bouquet. The texture is wonderful, displaying an almost a fine chalkiness.

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They sell direct; the easiest way to order is from their website and or join their rapidly growing mailing list or if visiting Napa Valley one can reserve an appointment to taste at the historic Ackerman House near downtown Napa. Ackerman’s wines can also be found locally in the valley at a variety of locations including sometimes at Backroom Wines in downtown Napa and at Auberge du Soleil in St. Helena. They are also distributed in other states including Arizona, Florida, New York and Wyoming. Because their distribution is small, they plan on capping their retail outlets to a select group of 100.

A small amount of wine is held back each year and then re-released as their library vintages. Aside from having the chance to purchase older releases, these wines remain priced reasonably.

The wines have limited distribution in the U.S. They are even found overseas in at least one location, the fantastic Waddesdon Manor in the UK owned by the Rothschild family. Lauren remembers visiting this amazing estate and described how the wine shop carried two wines from Napa Valley, Opus One and Ackerman.

Ackerman House, Napa
Over the span of some five years (with a brief interruption due to the Napa earthquake in August of 2014), Lauren meticulously oversaw the restoration of a Queen Anne Victorian originally built in 1888, previously known as the Gifford House and today known as the Ackerman Heritage House. Lauren is only the 6th owner of this historic house.

The house was named after E.R. Gifford who moved to Napa in 1904 and soon opened up Gifford’s Department Store advertised as ‘the house of quality’ which he operated for more than 20 years until he sold it on August 1, 1927, which then took the name of Albert’s Department Store and by 1962 Mervyn’s took over the old space. Gifford’s store was a prolific advertiser in the early 1900s in the Napa Journal (the first ad we came across for his department store in old newspaper records was 1905). In the 1930s the Gifford’s used the house to host a variety of functions including the Napa Study Club and the Napa Sewing Club. In 1936 at age 79 Gifford oversaw the construction of a new room to the house for $500. The house underwent an exterior renovation in 1998.

This downtown Napa located “living museum” contains many unique and one-of-a-kind items that Lauren personally discovered and purchased – some she found by taking multiple trips to Europe. Some items are originals to the house including a fancy looking wooden birdcage, 17 of the 25 stainless windows, a downstairs chandelier and some of the old wooden doors which used to be brightly painted but during renovations, a 10 month process painstakingly removed the paint.

After this restoration was completed in 2015, this has become one of Napa’s hidden gems. It is within a short walk of many of Napa’s noted restaurants and a number of the downtown hotels. The kitchen is arguably one of the highlights of this home and it is used by chefs to prepare food for various tastings and private events. And it is also used for culinary classes. In 2019, the Ackerman Vineyards received a California Preservation Design Award for the meticulous restoration on the hold house – a statewide award highlighting excellent in historic preservation. The property features a number of camellia bushes and also an impressive pomelo tree which always seems to be loaded with fruits.

The home can be rented out as an event space and has been used for political functions, small corporate events and dinners. And the guest rooms upstairs can also be rented. Inquire for details.

Ackerman Family Vineyards offers a variety of experiences including a traditional tasting, a vineyard tour at their Stonehaven property followed by a tasting or a number of culinary experiences. Tastings are sometimes held in The Aviary, a cozy space in a separate building adjoining the main house but sometimes seasonally in the main house. The aviary was initially built by prior owners as an enclosed aviary for keeping pheasants and chickens. Napa Valley producer, Lloyd Cellars used to use the Aviary as their tasting room; Lloyd Cellars is the personal wine brand of former Ackerman Family Vineyards winemaker Rob Lloyd.

A library/members room is located upstairs; guests who taste the Ackerman wines here will do so under the calming gaze of Robert Mondavi as a painting of this Napa Valley ‘godfather’ hangs on one of the walls (dates from 1998). This painting used to hang in the Aviary.

Some of their experiences are seasonal including during the winter holidays. Their tea socials and special tea tastings have become one of their most popular experiences. These tastings are accompanied by small bites and usually include up to 7 different types of teas. Ackerman even offers a membership in Napa’s First Tea Society.

Ackerman Heritage House