Peacock Family Vineyard

Peacock Family Vineyard (not to be confused with Peacock Cellars in Arroyo Grande in California’s Central Coast) is located in the beautiful Spring Mountain District, just minutes outside of the town of St. Helena. The 6+ planted acres are located at 1,000 feet at the end of a rolling narrow windy and steep hillside road. Nearby land owned by wineries includes Jackson Family Estates, Spring Mountain Vineyard, Juslyn Vineyards and Fantesca Estate. Founders Chris and Betsy Peacock moved here in 1991 and purchased the very rocky 47-acre site from the Raymond family, then owners of Raymond Vineyards. The Peacock’s initially sold the grapes to one of their Spring Mountain neighbors, Barnett Winery who produced a Peacock Vineyard designate in 1997 and 1999. Peacock began producing their own wine in 1999, a Cabernet Sauvignon. Some of their early vintages were produced at nearby Terra Valentine Winery, now the home of Lokoya, also on Spring Mountain.

Chris (died in 2023 at age 90) was well educated and well traveled and was attracted to a variety of interests besides wine including the spiritual world, culture and the arts. Chris was originally from Illinois, went to seminary school where he graduated with a degree in divinity; he also served as a Lieutenant in the air force in the Korean War. In the late 1950s he worked as an executive at RCA Whirlpool Appliance; in 1960 he attended Stanford Law School, eventually becoming a commercial real estate broker. In the mid 1970s he founded his own commercial real estate company.

And the house on the property is built of rammed earth, a type of construction that is conducive for keeping the interior warmer during cool months and cooler during warmer months. Several other rammed earth buildings in Napa Valley include winemakers Dawnine & Bill Dywer’s home, the residence at Meteor Vineyards, Long Meadow Ranch’s physical winery and a house on Elm Street next to the Napa Women’s Club in downtown Napa. Wing Canyon Vineyard on Mt. Veeder used to have both a rammed earth home and winery but unfortunately both burned down in the 2017 fires. This type of construction uses gravel, sand, silt and a small amount of clay rammed into extremely thick but porous walls which provides excellent insulation.

With Chris and Betsy getting up in years, their daughter Rebecca joined the team in 2013, leaving a career in the world of fashion. For 15 years Rebecca owned and operated Les Deux Copines (translates from French into English as the two girlfriends), a boutique primarily women’s apparel store in Burlingame, California which was founded in 2000. Its primary focus was on French fashion; today its collection is California lifestyle with both New York and European styles for sale. This store is still in business but under different ownership.

Chris’s wife Betsy owns the property and Rebecca owns the wine brand. Rebecca is often on the road marketing the wine, attending dinners and other events.

The vineyard is perched in a stunning location on the side of a saddle which overlooks the lower part of Spring Mountain as well as onto the Napa Valley floor with views to both the north and south from the property. The vines are planted on steep hillside following the curvature of the slope – wrapping around the property with numerous exposures. Sometimes this is above the fog line and all you see from above is a white ‘pillow’ covering the valley floor. This is prime hillside vineyard real estate located next to other notable vineyards from other wineries. And remarkably, while surrounded by rugged natural hillsides, the vineyard is only located about a 10-minute drive into the town of St. Helena.

Much of the vineyard is planted to a specific clone of Cabernet Sauvignon although individual block replanting’s have introduced additional Cabernet Sauvignon clones. They also make a rare, for a Spring Mountain producer, Pinot Noir, sourced from the Russian River Valley in neighboring Sonoma County. And in more recent years they produce a Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

Spring Mountain was founded as an appellation in 1993. This entirely mountain appellation is known almost exclusively for its red varieties. The appellation boasts rich mountain tannins and expressive wines. Most of the vineyards and wineries are situated along the windy and steep Spring Mountain Road which weaves its way up the steep eastern side of the Mayacamas mountains. The appellation was named after a number of small springs in the area. The region is heavily forested and most of the vineyards face east – although due to Peacock’s location on Spring Mountain, their vineyards are primarily western-facing.

Mornings, especially in the summer tend to warm quicker than the valley floor because the higher elevations of the appellation are typically above the valley fog. The evenings also tend to be warmer then the valley floor due to an inversion layer in which warm air rises up the slopes of the appellation later in the day.

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Winemaker Craig Becker crafted every vintage until tragically passing far too young in 2024; He joined their small team in 1999 and is who we originally met and visited the property with. Conveniently, before he became Peacock’s winemaker, he was already familiar with Spring Mountain grown grapes having previously worked at nearby Spring Mountain Winery where he was promoted to winemaker at age 23. Until his passing, he was Peacock’s winemaker and general manager. Becker’s assistant winemaker, Cody Hurd has since taken over the production.

He began his career in Napa Valley by working for Robert Mondavi in 1996; in 2003 he decided to focus on consulting and made wines for a handful of clients. Similar to the work he did for his clients, Craig’s focus was on hillside grown single vineyard produced wines. He always strived to showcase the particular vineyard site as well as the varietal characteristics of the wine.

Their estate Cabernet Sauvignon tends to age very well and continues to show the richness, depth and structure even after many years – yet despite all these focused hallmarks, their wines are always extremely well balanced.

Select Wines
Rosé
The 2024 Peacock Family Vineyard Rosé of Pinot Noir is from the Foster Vineyard, located on the western reaches of the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. Immediatley following harvest, the grapes were whole cluster pressed for several hours; following a cold and slow fermentation, the wine was aged for 6 months in stainless steel before being bottled. This wine is pale to medium salmon in color; this elegant bottling offers delicate scents including fresh raspberry, watermelon jolly rancher, white strawberry and a light jab of citrus including blood orange and grapefruit. Additional layers are both lightly herbal and floral including of dried rose petals, hibiscus, thyme and a hint of mint. Charming, easy drinking, and thoroughly enjoyable, we love drinking well made rose wines such as this one, in part because they are a cerebral break from the ubiquitous heavy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings. In the mouth there are flavors of young strawberry, pomegranate and Rainier cherry. Balanced, its silky texture is complemented nicely by a fresh acidity.

The 2021 Peacock Family Vineyard Rosé Russian River, Sonoma County is deep copper in color; the bouquet offers scents of crisp apple, citrus blossom, lime juice, raspberry, watermelon, pomegranate and passion fruit. There is also a subtle hint of vanilla found deep in the aromatics. The palate offers some flinty mineralities, along with flavors of honeydew melon, tangerine, orange zest and strawberries. The wine’s texture is an immediately noticeable attribute; it rolls across the palate like one running their hands across smooth velvet and is noticeably creamy and supple. The finish offers a lasting richness of flavor accompanied by bright but not bracing acidity.

Sauvignon Blanc
The 2024 Peacock Family Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Somerston Vineyard Napa Valley is medium straw in color; the vibrant and tangy bouquet showcases the herbal characteristics of the variety but without being green – and that is an important distinction. This includes a scent that takes us back to our childhood, coring Golden delicious apples in the fall in our parents garage and the resulting aromatics of the apple juice pooling around the base of the apple corer, not fully ripe pineapple, lemongrass, lemon zest, loquat, passion fruit, pineapple guava, thyme, spring florals including star jasmine and some orchard fruits creeping in as the bouquet evolves including white nectarine and white peach. Ripe and full flavored, this wine tastes like golden apples, pomelo, white grapefruit, lime juice, Babcock peach, white nectarine, passionfruit and honeydew melon. Its lightly rounded texture is offset nicely by it mouthwatering and lively acidity. When tasting balanced and bright Sauvignon Blancs we always think of the sea in terms of food pairing. This bottling: drink with ceviche with lime, cilantro and chili.

The 2021 Peacock Family Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc was sourced from the 1,682-acre Somerston Vineyard in Chiles Valley, in the hills east of the main Napa Valley floor. This wine is medium gold in color; we immediately noted the aromatics smell like the variety without being too green or grassy. Nor is it too tropical or ripe on the bouquet, a style that many Napa Valley producers have embraced for their own Sauvignon Blanc bottlings. Rather its style falls somewhere in the middle. The highly expressive nose offers scents of white peach, citrus blossom, lemongrass, green apple, kiwi, pineapple, a hint of apricot and star jasmine. The palate is a riper expression of this variety than the bouquet, offering flavors of Golden Delicious apple, pineapple, passion fruit, melon and mandarin. The mouth feel offers a supple and gentle texture. The finish is bright without any bracing acidity, is richly flavored and long lasting.

Pinot Noir
The 2021 Peacock Family Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Doña Margarita Vineyard is pale ruby in color; this is a ripe expression of this vineyard and variety with the bouquet focused on its fruit characteristics. These scents include ripe strawberry, cherry cola, Santa Rosa plum, pomegranate, hibiscus, black tea and a light note of cedar. As the wine opens further, it reveals a layer of mocha and coffee. On the palate there are flavors of cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, cherry and red plums. Despite its 15.1% listed ABV, the palate doesn’t ‘feel’ overly ripe and or fruity; it features a thread of acidity, especially noticeable on the finish, that contributes to its overall balance. The finish lingers with a savory character including of dried sage, smoked cedar and white pepper. The tannins are well tumbled and linger with a light gravelly character felt across the palate. Pair with a slow-cooked BBQ pork shoulder covered in a dry-rub with an assortment of herbs and spices.

The 2019 Peacock Family Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Doña Margarita Vineyard is made with the Pommard clone. This vineyard is owned by Marimar Estate Winery and is located between the tiny communities of Freestone and Occidental in western Sonoma County, only about seven miles from the Pacific Ocean. This wine is pale to medium ruby in color; the first word we wrote down was spicy to describe its aromatic character. It offers scents of white pepper, old cedar box, dark raspberry, a hint of mushroom, mocha and assorted baking spices. Its fruit core shows more as the wine has time to evolve in the glass. The plate offers a creamy and soft texture accompanied by plenty of flavor including of cherry, black raspberry and spiced plum. This is a riper expression of this variety. The finish offers some spices including of pepper and cardamom. The tannins are well-integrated and lightly grainy in their lingering textural feel. This wine drinks very well by itself. For reference, Peacock’s first vintage of Pinot Noir was in 2007.

Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2004 Peacock Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is dark and inky in color and is very representative of concentrated Spring Mountain fruit, layered in flavor but not overly tannic. The wine is fairly supple and seamless across the palate featuring an extremely long finish. The nose is elegant and opens the more you leave it in the glass. Mocha, vanilla and fruit make this a very aromatic wine with the fruit following on the palate including cherry and plum with notes of baking spices and subtle hints of oak towards the finish. The tannins are definitely there but do not overwhelm, rather they complement this already very well balanced wine nicely. Indigenous yeasts were used during the fermentation and the wine was unfiltered.

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Peacock Vineyard mostly survived the devastating Glass Fire of 2020 which burned much of Spring Mountain. They lost about one acre of grapes and a number of trees including the tall cypress which lined part of their driveway. Miraculously their home did not burn. Unfortunately other Spring Mountain neighbors were not so lucky.

One cannot help but notice their labeling; each handsome label features a large colorful peacock with feathers comprising most of the image. The Peacock wines are primarily sold direct to consumer, however one can find their wines at select local Napa Valley based wine shops and there is extremely limited distribution in certain markets nationally. Total production is merely around 700 cases each year. Sometimes library wines are available for purchase. Visits to the vineyard are on a very limited basis for serious wine enthusiasts or existing Peacock club members; guests will generally meet with one of the family.

Peackock is a member of the Spring Mountain District, an organization that promotes Spring Mountain, its wineries and vineyards. For more information, to purchase wine or to join their allocation list, visit: www.peacockvineyard.com