Mount Veeder Magic Vineyards. Karen Crouse (born in New Orleans but was raised in Los Angeles County) and her husband Greg moved up to the city of Napa in 1990 from Walnut Creek. Karen was working for American Express at the time; she moved to the Napa Valley to acquire clients and help market and host related credit card events in the region. Growing grapes and making wine was not on her initial radar. However, life takes one on various twists and turns and if one spends enough time in Napa Valley it seems, one invariably is presented an opportunity related to wine.
One day Greg (an avid cyclist) rode his bicycle up Mt. Veeder Road and returned to their home holding a flyer advertising an 80-acre property with 16 acres of vines. The flyer advertised the name of the property as “Mount Veeder Magic”, a name they ultimately kept when starting their wine brand. Karen recalls, asking him something like, “what is your point”? and Greg replying with, “we should go look at it”. So, they did. The vineyard was in bad shape, overgrown and not well cared for – and Karen recalls the old house on the property was oozing some kind of red ‘stuff’. She almost thought she was in some sort of scene from the film, Deliverance. And after taking a look around the property she informed Greg, “we are so done with this”. But then he said, “I really want this” – the next day they started escrow. They purchased the site in 2007.
Their initial thought was to continue to grow and sell grapes through existing contracts but looking closer at the resulting financials – they decided it might make more sense if they produced their own wine. Greg suggested this one day in 2008 as the economy was tanking. But their initial production was not the typical small business Napa Valley wine brand. Rather Karen astutely realized that a very tiny percentage of the population was not affected by the economic downturn and that she would pursue those clients. Friends told her this was going to be a very difficult proposition and even discouraged her from this model. Fortunately, she followed her own internal compass and instincts.
Rather than sell wine by the bottle, she decided to sell wine by the barrel. A small mention of Mount Veeder Magic in Celebrated Living, the American Airlines in-flight magazine for first and business class passengers (next to an article about The Napa Valley Reserve) helped kick off her brand and resulted in her first sales. There are a select view other Napa Valley based wineries that produce and sell wine in barrel quantities direct to consumer – but her particular barrel program is a very unique offering.
A very limited number of memberships are available. Most of her clients take an entirely hands off approach but are interested in learning about the overall process from vineyard to bottle.
Sales are strongly relationship driven with her clients – sure, they are purchasing premium extremely limited private-label one-of-a-kind offerings, but they are also buying confidence in her standards and commitment to integrity and excellence as well an extremely exclusive experience. Karen works very closely with her clients for the barrel program – it has evolved over the years; today one can purchase as little as 1/4 or 1/2 of a barrel (in addition to a full barrel). She always writes a highly personalized back label – based off of one question she initially asks clients to answer, “what do you say when you pour your wine?” And she and her label designer create each custom label based on images, quotes or colors which mean something to the client. All bottles are hand labeled – each barrel produces 24 cases, or 288 bottles.
Karen truly enjoys what she is doing, and it shows. She compares wine to the word ‘happy’ – these two words go hand in hand when enjoyed moderation in the company of family and friends.
In relation to the rest of the Napa Valley, there are not many vineyards planted on Mt. Veeder—this sub-appellation is responsible for only about 1% of the valley’s entire grape production. Part of that reason is that Mt. Veeder is extremely rugged and steep, presenting a landscape that is as challenging as it is beautiful. The original 16 acres of the Mount Veeder Magic property are planted with 14.7 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 1.3 acres of Merlot, thriving in thin, well-drained soils. Properties on this part of Mt. Veeder have been subdivided into smaller parcels over the years, yet this particular area remains deeply connected to the pioneer spirit of Napa’s modern era. Notably, it possesses very historic connections to Domaine Chandon; this is where the famous sparkling wine house purchased their first property in the Napa Valley. Their oldest vineyard borders the Mount Veeder Magic property, and it is where Domaine Chandon founding chairman and president John Wright lived for a number of years, recognizing early on the singular potential of this mountain terrain.
The history of Mount Veeder is a narrative of resilience and vision. Long before the 1980s when it was officially recognized as an AVA, the mountain was a site of experimental plantings dating back to the late 19th century. Early settlers discovered that despite the logistical nightmares of farming at elevation, the fruit produced here possessed an intensity and acidity that the valley floor could rarely replicate. John Wright of Domaine Chandon was instrumental in the mountain’s 20th-century renaissance. By choosing these slopes for their first Napa acquisition, Chandon validated the region’s ability to produce grapes with high natural acidity and structural integrity. This historical pedigree has helped maintain Mt. Veeder’s reputation as a “connoisseur’s appellation,” where the focus remains on quality and heritage rather than mass production.
Geographically, Mt. Veeder is a unique anomaly within the Napa Valley. Located in the Mayacamas Mountains on the western side of the valley, it is the only hillside appellation that directly overlooks the San Pablo Bay. This proximity to the bay is vital; it creates a “refrigeratory effect” where cool marine breezes and fog moderate the temperatures. While the valley floor often bakes in the afternoon sun, Mt. Veeder remains several degrees cooler. Interestingly, the mountain also stays warmer at night compared to the valley floor because the cool air sinks into the basin, leaving the slopes in a thermal belt. This narrower diurnal temperature swing allows for a long, slow ripening process, ensuring that the tannins in the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot reach full maturity without the sugars skyrocketing, resulting in wines of immense balance.
Growing grapes on Mt. Veeder is a labor of love that borders on the heroic. The geology here is vastly different from the volcanic soils found on the eastern Vaca range; instead, Mt. Veeder is composed primarily of ancient sedimentary soil—specifically uplifted sea floor. These soils are lean, rocky, and remarkably well-drained, which naturally limits the vigor of the vines. Because the soil is so nutrient-poor, the vines must struggle, sending roots deep into the fractured rock to find water. This struggle results in tiny, concentrated berries with a high skin-to-juice ratio.
The sheer steepness of the terrain, with slopes often exceeding 30 degrees, dictates that almost all vineyard work—from pruning to harvesting—must be done by hand. Machinery is largely useless on these vertical pitches. This manual labor, combined with the low yields (often less than two tons per acre), makes Mt. Veeder one of the more difficult places to farm in Napa Valley. However, for those who farm vineyards in this AVA, the reward is a wine of “mountain character” and singularity.
Mount Veeder Magic Vineyard grows on 7 different soil types divided into 6 unique blocks, each creatively named using names associated with the French Quarter in New Orleans. Parts of the vineyard are remarkably steep – planted into terraced slopes greater then 30%. And the oldest vines are more then 30 years. The lower vineyard block is about 800 feet with the uppermost blocks topping out at about 1100 feet.
Keeping it on the mountain. John Derr of John Derr Farming oversees the vineyard; he and his wife Ashley used to own Lampyridae Vineyards, the second highest vineyard property in Napa Valley, on Mt. Veeder. They sold this property in 2021 to Merrvale and it is now called Altezia Vineyard. And Jeff Fontanella is their winemaker; he and his wife own vineyard property on the lower slopes of Mt. Veeder and operate Fontanella Winery where they make their own wines but also custom crush grapes for several other small producers.
Karen is involved in all decisions of the business ranging from farming, harvest dates, bottling and labeling.
Select Wines
The first vintage of Mount Veeder Magic was from 2010. Limited amounts of library wines are still available. In 2019 Karen conceived a special 300 bottle only offering called Connection & Perspective. Long time family friends with the Los Angeles based Marroquin family – she was introduced to the artwork of Matias Marroquin (who in part, specializes in abstract impressions of Los Angeles neighborhoods). She commissioned him (still in his teens at the time) to produce a patchwork like abstract image of her vineyard using a variety of photographs including aerial shots as framework perspective for his final piece. This singular bottling is from the 2016 vintage.
Another unique offering is a 6-year library selection – an almost vertical of wines from 2012 through 2018 (missing only the 2016 vintage) contained in a sizable wooden ‘treasure chest’ – each chest is laser inscribed with a personal note from Karen. Only 25 of these coveted chests were produced.
The 2016 Mount Veeder Magic Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in color; offers an elegant bouquet with forward aromas of ripe blackberry, cassis and additional layers of mocha, vanilla and Graham cracker. Revisiting from the bottle after about an hour – the aromatics show a little more meaty and savory characteristics. Richly flavored without heavy tannins – the wine is seamless from entry to the finish. Shows flavors of blackberry, plum and a darker fruit plus a darker spice component towards the back of the palate. Lingers with fine chalk-like tannins and flavors of dark cherry and hints of cedar. Very supple on the long finish, the fruit outpaces the tannins in its length. A crowd favorite for sure.
The 2018 Mount Veeder Magic Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in color with purplish tinges on the rim; there is plenty of ripeness here, a fruit forward showing with aromas of blackberry cobbler, milk chocolate, white chocolate, mocha and vanilla extract. The bouquet is highly attractive – a pleasing interplay of both ripe fruit and dessert spice influences from the barrel aging. As it opens the fruit has a greater aromatic impact. The palate is richly flavored but not intensely structured – extremely approachable and already balanced in its youth. The tannins are similar in texture to the 2016 – chalk-like but perhaps slightly tighter wound due to this wine’s youth at the time of our tasting. The finish is lengthy – lingers with a darkness of black fruits and a slight darker spicy note (tobacco and a hint of pepper).
The vineyard’s imprint and the winemakers style certainly shows on both vintages.
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Mount Veeder Magic does have limited distribution in restaurants, but the wines are primarily sold direct to consumer. And Karen has partnered with several lifestyle brands including Blackbook Motorsport (an exclusive members club for the global motorsports industry). Total production of the Mount Veeder Magic wines is usually between 600 and 700 cases a year. The barrel production is limited to 25 barrels each year.
In addition to her role at Mount Veeder Magic Karen operates Karen Crouse Napa Valley. This is a lifestyle and brand platform that serves as a personal window into the authentic Napa Valley life of its founder, Karen Crouse. While she is well-established as a vintner and grower—notably through her work with Mount Veeder Magic Vineyards—this business branch focuses on her role as a Tastemaker and Entrepreneur, providing a curated guide to effortless elegance and sophisticated living. And she sells several wine and culinary related items, each made from parts of wine barrels that formerly aged the Mount Veeder Magic wines. These items include a barrel-aged oak riser, a three bottle wine holder and a barrel-aged tasting board pair.
For more information or to become a member visit: www.mountveedermagic.com or for Karen’s Napa Valley lifestyle focused website, visit: www.karencrousenapavalley.com
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