Beau Vigne Napa Valley (pronounced bo-veenya), meaning beautiful vineyard in French, was founded by Ed and Trish Snider with their first vintage dating from 2002; we originally spoke to both Ed and Trish when we wrote our initial notes for this review many years ago. Ed’s family has deep roots in Napa Valley; his grandfather Martin Garzoli (died in 1938 at only age 44) arrived in Napa in 1913 as a child, a Swiss Italian who grew up making wine and was a rancher in Carneros. While working during the day farming in Napa and Sonoma, Martin would make home wine in the evenings. His son John would later be signed by the San Francisco 49ers football team in 1955 and coach football in the city of Napa. Ed is a native of Napa Valley and used to coach football at St. Helena High School. St. Helena is in the heart of Napa Valley and many children of vintners attend this school. As expected, a number of Ed’s former students are now in the local and extended wine industry.
In 2018 Ed sold Beau Vigne to Arizona based individuals Don Dady and Jason Kyle. Jason used to be an NFL long snapper who played for 5 teams throughout his career including the San Francisco 49ers; Jason is an investor and co-owner of Press Coffee Roasters with select locations within Arizona. And Don is the co-founder of Annexus, a financial company based in Scottsdale and also owner of Seven Apart Winery located just north of the city of Napa.
Of hundreds of Napa Valley based brands who are no longer producing for whatever reason, it is always very interesting to dig into the reasons why a small brand is able to continue to find success despite changes in ownership. The right owners and timing certainly play a major role in continued operations. But so does the brand itself; Beau Vigne was already a well-established brand with an extremely loyal direct to consumer base. And it is important to note that it was not set up as a hobby brand but as a thoughtfully built operation with access to some of Napa’s most premium vineyards and winemakers. And the results of their efforts were rewarded by wines that consumers developed a strong following for as well as prominent wine writers who often rewarded their top bottlings with handsome scores including a perfect 100-point score by Robert Parker for the 2013 Beau Vigne Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
The vineyard source for creating their estate wines was from the Stags Ridge Vineyard, a 10-acre vineyard at about 1650 feet elevation on the slopes of Atlas Peak (at the top of Soda Canyon Road). This site was planted to 8 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and a single acre planted to Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Ed also sold this vineyard which is now a part of Seven Apart Winery’s estate. Beau Vigne continues to source grapes from premium vineyards in Napa Valley.
In 2019 these individuals approached Appellation Trading Company about helping the liquidate inventory and close the Beau Vigne brand. Appellation Trading Company had different ideas. Now a part of their own portfolio of brands, they continued producing Beau Vigne but also created a number of other wines bottled under Beau Vigne, primarily for distribution.
Beau Vigne has always worked with highly regarded Napa Valley based winemakers. Dave Phinney was Beau Vigne’s founding winemaker; he developed several very successful brands, including Orin Swift Cellars and the Prisoner (his early winemaking work in Napa Valley was at Robert Mondavi and Opus One). Kirk Venge has also crafted the wines and today winemaker Julien Fayard oversees their winemaking.
Fine vineyards, fine winemakers and a fine name: Beau Vigne translated from French into English, means fine wine.
Select Wines
Chardonnay
The 2024 Beau Vigne Persuasion Chardonnay from Napa Valley is medium gold in color; the first aromatic noted is Golden Delicious apple, alongside pear and floral notes including jasmine and honeysuckle. Additional aromas straddle both stone fruit and tropical, with nectarine, apricot, and pineapple. If you’re looking for an overtly oaky, buttery Chardonnay, look elsewhere—this is a bright, ripe expression of the variety. The ripe, sweetly fruited palate delivers flavors of baked apple, nectarine, golden plum, apricot, pineapple, lychee, and ripe pomelo, with a lingering note of popcorn butter as a gentle reminder of the grape. Super fresh, vibrant, and full of energy, the bright acidity keeps this wine singing on the finish for quite some time—best enjoyed with lightly seared scallops and a view of the rugged Pacific coastline.
The 2008 Beau Vigne Persuasion Chardonnay, Russian River Valley Sonoma County. The wine was aged in French oak, with a portion of new barrels contributing subtle structure and nuance rather than overt oak dominance. The bouquet is lively and highly aromatic, offering an inviting preview of the complexity found on the palate, with tropical notes of passion fruit and pineapple alongside melon and a light citrus lift. The wine carries good weight, presenting a creamy texture that adds richness without veering into the heavy, buttery style often associated with California Chardonnay. Instead, it remains balanced and composed, with freshness supporting the fruit and texture. The finish is smooth and lingering, highlighting both its vibrancy and its polished, restrained approach to the variety.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Beau Vigne bottles wines under three different brands; the Legacy Series, the Signature Series and the Discovery Series.
The 2022 Beau Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Signature Series, is deep ruby and nearly opaque; forward-fruited, the nose offers red cherry, boysenberry, Persian mulberry, blackberry, and red plum. The aromatics are sweet but never cross into jammy territory, with oak serving as a light complement. The same holds true on the palate, where fruit remains the star, showing flavors of red plum, cranberry, boysenberry, Persian mulberry, and blackberry. The finish persists with a firm grip, supported by grainy, lightly gritty tannins that maintain their hold well beyond the fruit. Lively and red-fruited throughout, this wine leans brighter than is typical for Napa Valley in this vintage, showcasing a fresher, more energetic expression.
The 2018 Beau Vigne Romeo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Signature Series) is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petite Verdot; this wine is dark ruby and almost purple in color in the glass – it is nearly opaque. The bouquet is generous, filled primarily with darker fruit aromatics including of blackberry, boysenberry and dark plum along with violets. But there is also a pleasing union of lighter secondary aromas from the barrel aging including mocha, espresso, molasses and chocolate. The richness of fruit sings across the palate with flavors of dark cherry and blackberry, its generous and opulent but without any heavy-handed tannins. Structurally, one can feel the density of the tannins, but they are fairly rounded and fit in nicely, like perfectly matching a piece of a jig-saw puzzle. Lingers with a darker savory and spice note including of crushed pepper.
The 2018 Beau Vigne Juliet Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Signature Series) is as dark in the glass as the Romeo bottling and is a blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. The bouquet needs a bit more time to open than the same vintage of the Romeo but when it does, it shows plenty of dark fruit including dark plum, black cherry and boysenberry. These layered aromatics are framed by black licorice, dark chocolate, white pepper, old cedar box and subtle notes of clove. The palate is as dark as the bouquet with flavors of blackberry, dark plum and a light lingering tobacco spice. Shows a woodsy, dusty, savory and a dark spice finish anchored by gravelly structured tannins. Medium acidity.
The 2018 Beau Vigne Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (Signature Series) is even darker than the Romeo and Juliet bottlings; the 2018 vintage of any of the Beau Vigne wines is the last time grapes were used from the Stags Ridge Vineyard on Atlas Peak although grapes from other Atlas Peak locations are still being used in select bottlings. This wine is 100% varietal. The bouquet immediately offers dark, meaty and savory scents. It broods for a while but then opens to aromas of blackberry, violets, a rusting iron note, dark plum, old cedar box and some dark baking spices. This is a masculine showing across the palate, filled with dark savory notes both from the fruit and barrel aging. Structurally, it features a robust girth with dark, chewy, grippy, and extremely persistent tannins anchoring the very long finish. There is absolutely nothing shy about this bottling. Sizable cowboy hat, BBQ and big steak wine, enjoyed outdoors on a cool, but not cold evening. Would love to see where this wine is at in 10, 15 and 20 years.
The 2017 Beau Vigne Guest Cottage Cabernet Sauvignon (Owner’s Reserve) was sourced from the Stags Ridge Vineyard on Atlas Peak. This wine is 100% varietal and was aged in 100% new French oak. Its name comes from the fact the grapes sourced for this bottling are from the highest block on the vineyard which borders the guest cottage. This wine is dark ruby in color; the bouquet offers a riper fruit forward showing including of blackberry, Santa Rosa plum and mulberry along with a diversity of intriguing baking and Asian spices. The palate offers a robust richness of fruit but is balanced with earthy, dense, dark, dry and gravelly feeling tannins. Lingers with some influence of alcohol and a dried tobacco leaf characteristic.
The 2016 Beau Vigne Cult Napa Valley is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc and was aged for 21 months in 90% new French oak; the simple label is silk screened with real gold. This wine is dark ruby in color with purplish tinges on the rim in the glass; the bouquet is focused on the richness of fruit with the oak acting as a complementary character. The aromas are opulent and ripe and show scents of blackberry jam, dark plum, sage and old tobacco box. Filled with layers of flavor followed by a lingering finish showcasing chewy, grippy, dry and persistent tannins along with dried tobacco leaf and old cedar. Structurally the tannins are very noticeable but are perhaps not as robust as one might think from a wine labeled as cult. This wine is nearly 16% alcohol although the acid helps keep the alcohol in check. There are several other cult bottlings from at least one other Napa Valley based producer, but the name cult cannot be trademarked due to its descriptive nature.
The 2008 Beau Vigne Juliet Cabernet Sauvignon shows a very appealing and well-defined flavor profile; when we tasted this in 2011, it was their most widely produced wine. One of its most intriguing qualities is how balanced it presents at a relatively young stage, offering both approachability and structure. The nose is elegant and fruit-driven, leaning more toward black fruit than red, with black cherry and black currant forming the core, supported by subtle hints of cocoa and a light earthy undertone. On the palate, the wine delivers consistency with the bouquet, carrying those dark fruit flavors through with clarity and depth. The tannins are dusty and highly persistent, providing a firm structural backbone that lingers on the finish, suggesting this wine was built to age while still showing well in its youth.
The 2007 Beau Vigne Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon offers a bouquet that is slightly more restrained than some of the other bottlings, yet remains elegant and quietly expressive as it opens in the glass. The palate is richly flavored, revealing notes of black fig and red cherry, with additional layers of dark fruit and a subtle hint of spice emerging over time. There is a sense of composure throughout, with nothing out of place and each component working in harmony. This bottling is certainly drinkable now, showing a polished and integrated profile, but it also has the structure and depth to continue evolving gracefully for years to come. Built to age, this wine carries Dave Phinney’s signature hallmark—balance—where fruit, acidity, and tannin are seamlessly aligned.
Beau Vigne Collection
Under the same ownership, this corollary brand features six proprietary wines, either Cabernet Sauvignon or a red blend. They are Cult, Hero, Icon, Hope, Aura and Myth.
The 2022 Beau Vigne Collection Hero, California is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 3% Syrah. This wine was aged for 17 months in French oak barrels. Its color is deep ruby; its breath is a union of fruity and oak. These scents include blackberry, dark cherry, boysenberry, dark raspberry and dark mulberry in parallel with cinnamon, nutmeg, old cedar box and toasted oak. This latter aromatic reminds us the smell of chain sawing fallen oak trees at the ranch of a family friend every summer with the leather gloves covered in oak tree dust. This ‘hero’ offers a sweet disposition (residual sugar). Its flavors include raspberry, strawberry jam and cherry. And it features a lighter expression in terms of its texture; the tannins persist with a gentle grip. The oak influence is just as prominent on the palate as on the bouquet. This wine finishes sweet with flavors of cinnamon stick, dried walnuts, toasted oak and dried sage. The toasted oak dominates here and is the lasting presence beyond everything. Its listed ABV is 14.0%.
Maison Fayard, Napa
Starting in late 2023, Beau Vigne became a part of Maison Fayard; this space opened on September 23, 2023. The previous tenant was Engel & Volkers; after they vacated the premises the space was remarkably renovated and completed in about 3 weeks – perhaps some sort of record for shortest amount of time needed to convert an existing space into a tasting room in downtown Napa. The interior remodel was overseen by Cruz Calderon (co-proprietor of Scalon Cellars). Artwork will rotate from time to time; the inaugural artist represented was Laurie Shelton, also proprietor of CAMi Vineyards (known for her paintings of colorful cows).
Maison Fayard is a collection of wines produced by Julien Fayard including wines under his own ownership (Julien Fayard, Purlieu, Just Pink!, Les Vins Julien and Covert Estate). Most of the brands he makes wine for are from Napa Valley but there are several producers whose focus is non Napa Valley wines. This collection is diverse including varieties and price points. The interior is partly a bottle shop, collection of wine accessories and educational tools for sale and a tasting space with a private room located upstairs for more private tastings. Maison Fayard is located at 1408 2nd Street in downtown Napa. As of our latest update, they are open daily from 10 to 6 PM.
This part of 2nd Street (between Franklin & School streets, sometimes locally referred to as SoFi – south of First Street) has seen as much of a renaissance as any other part of downtown. One of Fayard’s nearby wine neighbors, Gamling & McDuck were one of the very first businesses part of this burst of energy brought to this part of the city. It’s a hip and happening place to hang out, especially on the weekends and features a variety of welcoming shops including tasting rooms. And in the spirit of neighbors having fun Jeffries General next door, Benevolent Neglect across the street and Gamling & McDuck carry nerf guns next to their counters for friendly neighborhood fights. Although on the second day they were open, we personally provided Maison Fayard with a nerf gun of their own to defend themselves as needed.
Total production has increased significantly since Ed began Beau Vigne, although their signature series is still under 1,000 case per year while their distributed wines are closer to 20,000 cases per year. For more information, to join either their mailing list or wine club, or schedule a tasting, visit: www.beauvigne.com
Yountville tasting room (now closed, but we keep these photographs here for historical reference).
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