Shafer Vineyards was family owned from 1978 (their inaugural vintage) through early 2022. John Shafer (died 2019) founded Shafer Vineyards after a long corporate career in the book publishing industry, based in Chicago. In 1972 at the age of 48 he and his family moved to Napa Valley and purchased 209 acres which at the time had 30 acres of vines dating from … [Read more...]

Sherwin Family Vineyards is a boutique winery located in the forests of the Spring Mountain district. A tiny road leads north from the Napa / Sonoma County line at the top of Spring Mountain, the 'summit' road as we refer to this ribbon of pavement. This road passes select driveways to Spring Mountain wineries before forking several times; the road is well … [Read more...]

Shypoke Vineyards is located just south of Calistoga. The winery was founded by Peter Heitz (today he and his wife Meg oversee all the operations of this tiny brand). The Heitz family (no relation to Joseph Heitz, founder of Heitz Cellars) dates back to 1896 in Napa Valley which makes his family among the older winemaking families in Napa Valley. Peter … [Read more...]

Silver Stag Winery's vineyard is located in the Coombsville district just north and east of the town of Napa. The name of this winery comes from a large Stag that would frequently be seen near the owner's home (Harry & Ellen Parsley - Harry died in late 2022) and when the light was right this animal looked slightly silver in color. Their property is located … [Read more...]

Silverado Vineyards (no affiliation with the nearby Silverado Resort & Spa) was founded by Ron Miller and his wife Diane Disney (Diane passed away in 2013 and Ron in early 2019). In early 2022 we heard that Silverado Vineyards was for sale; the property, winery and brand sold in mid 2022 to Foley Wine Estates (see our notes at the bottom of this review for … [Read more...]

Sjöblom Winery. In a wine region that has become known for exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon, it is refreshing to discover a producer that takes wine making in a different direction then the majority of the valley's producers. Innovative and with an engaging personality, founder and winemaker Mikael (Mike) Sjöblom is not afraid to create wines in styles not … [Read more...]

Sky Vineyards is located at about 2100 feet high in the Mayacamas mountain range near the Sonoma County line. It is one of the higher vineyards in all of Napa County. Founder, Lore Olds has lived here since 1972. His first commercial vintage was in 1979 making this winery the second oldest winery in this area behind nearby Mayacamas Winery. We maintain a … [Read more...]

Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery is one of the oldest wineries in Napa Valley's Spring Mountain District; it dates from 1971 with their first commercial release coming in 1977. For reference, there are approximately 70 wineries in Napa Valley who were producing wines in 1979 or prior who are still producing wines today. But today there are more than 1,000 … [Read more...]