Revelette Estate. Passing the Rutherford appellation sign while driving north, we nurtured a suspicion we may have previously been to the property that is now Revelette Estate. And our suspicions were soon confirmed; this was the prior home of Witt Estate, owned by John and Barbara Witt. We first visited with the Witts on the property in 2007. It is located in western Rutherford near the Mayacamas mountains. Nearby winery neighbors include Tres Sabores, Pestoni Family and DANA Estate.
From Ohio, the Witt’s purchased this property in 1997; it was the site of an old dairy farm and had not yet been planted to vineyards. They significantly updated the look and feel of the property including completely renovating the main barn and also the smaller milk barn. They planted a diversity of trees, olives, citrus, figs and walnuts. Primarily growers, they produced several vintages in the early 2000s at the neighboring winery, Tres Sabores.
Initial soil tests revealed the property was suitable for Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. They grew both varieties until replanting their Merlot to Cabernet Sauvignon. Mason and Kathryn Revelette purchased part of this property in late 2022 from John and Barbara’s family. The Witt’s originally aquired 18 acres and then divided their property into two parcels. The Revelette’s purchased the second neighboring parcel in the summer of 2024. Their total property is now 18 acres of which 11 acres are planted, primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon with 0.5 acres of several clones of Sauvignon Blanc planted in the summer of 2024 in a wetter section of their property. The vineyard is managed by Chris Walden of Vinedresser, Inc.
The Napa Valley is small sometimes; while driving to Revelette Estate we were on the phone with the Wine Foundry, located in the city of Napa for one of our own clients. The Revelette wines have been produced at and by the Wine Foundry since their inaugural vintage in 2019, a Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. This bottling earned a 91 score from the Wine Spectator. The first estate wine was produced in 2023.
20 years ago Mason would probably have not seen himself overseeing restaurants and owning vineyards and a wine brand in Napa Valley. Early in his career he wanted to be a basketball coach. He worked for Rick Pitino and later for Tom Crean at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN.
Mason’s parents, Alan and Candace founded Advantage Builders, and oversaw the construction of some 600 homes in the Nashville area. Eventually Alan transitioned into buying and selling commercial real estate. The Revelette’s owned a building in Cool Springs, TN which became the home to Jonathan’s Grill, founded in 1999. Eventually the Revelette family bought out the founders of Jonathan’s Grille. Its concept is both a bar and a restaurant with a much elevated culinary scene.
Mason took over the management of Jonathan’s in 2010 and has helped grow the business to currently more than 10 unique Jonathan’s Grille locations, primarily in Tennessee but also with one located in Alabama. A second restaurant concept, focusing on higher end dining is The Rutledge Vine. The original Jonathan’s Grille is still located in Cool Springs. The business has grown remarkably since Mason’s involvement – from approximately 650 employees in 2020 (they did not lay off any employees that year) to now more than 1,200.
Select Wines
Kathryn enjoys Sauvignon Blanc and wanted to produce a bottling as she says, “the love child resulting of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc crossed with a Pouilly-Fumé from France’s Loire Valley. She and Mason tasted bottlings of this variety from several vineyards but were most impressed with the grapes from the Wildwood Vineyard in Sonoma County.
The 2023 Revelette, Wildwood Vineyard Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc is pale straw in color; the bouquet is highly aromatic, minerally, floral and sweetly fruited with aromas of white peach, white nectarine, pineapple guava, lychee, jasmine and orange blossom. The bouquet holds its aromatics very well as it opens. This is not a green or grassy showing, nor does it have any overtly tropical characteristics. It is superbly balanced across the board in terms of acidity, flavor and texture with not one of those attributes dominating. The palate sports flavors of pineapple guava, not fully ripe pineapple, green apple, grapefruit and pomelo. The finish is brightly lit, lingering with a note of tarragon and or dill. Lively. A light fleshy texture complements the acidity well. This wine showcases the typicity of this variety well. Summertime sipper.
The 2023 Revelette Rosé of Tempranillo is 95% Tempranillo and 5% Grenache with both varieties sourced from Lodi. This wine is pale salmon in color. Their goal was to have a medium bodied rosé that pairs well with a diversity of food, a more substantive rosé if you will. The bouquet offers aromas of raspberry, strawberries, a hint of rhubarb and light watermelon jolly rancher. Bright, with a rounded texture this wine persists with a rich flavor profile. The minerally palate sports flavors of lime, strawberry and raspberry. Lingers refreshing with an energetic zip featuring bright acidity but never bracing. This bottling is a pleasing partner for seafood, perhaps shellfish. Best served chilled.
The 2021 Revelette Red Blend California is 42.625% Petite Sirah, 42.625% Zinfandel, 12.5% Malbec, 1.75% Petit Verdot and 0.5% Cabernet Franc. The blending trials for this wine in particular, are extremely detailed hence the listed varietal percentages out to three decimal places. The grapes vary in in terms of variety and percentages each year; in 2021 the grapes were sourced from Napa Valley, Sonoma County and Clarksburg in Yolo County. This wine is medium to deep ruby in color; the sweetly fruited bouquet offers aromas of cherry pie, raspberry preserves and red licorice. The palate is rounded and immediately easy drinking offering fine-grained and supple tannins which complement a richness and depth of its fruit profile. Flavors include cherry, raspberry, and strawberry. The finish lingers with a light gravelly/dusty character. Balanced in terms of texture, acidity and fruit. Regardless of vintage, this wine is meant to be approachable – a crowd pleaser. And it is a highly versatile food wine. Katherine calls this bottling the Golden Retriever, it keeps coming back to you, and before long the bottle is empty.
The 2021 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% Malbec and 1.5% Petit Verdot and 0.5% Cabernet Franc. This wine is deep ruby; the distinctive bouquet falls on the spectrum of being more elegant than many Napa Valley contemporary wines of this variety. And we hope in a blind tasting we could pick this out of the hedonistic and opulent bottlings. The bouquet offers a diversity of aromatics including petrichor, dried rose petals, dried herbs including sage, water poured on hot slate rock, cherry and bramble. The palate is both red and darker fruited and sports flavors of cherry, currant, and raspberry. Their goal is always to have a long, silky and finessed finish regardless of vintage. The tannins are gravelly, lightly grainy and persist in tandem with fruit, dried herbs and crushed peppercorn on the extended finish. Lingers with a light drying and earthy character. André Tchelistcheff used to refer to this terroir attribute as the Rutherford Dust. Perhaps pair it with a lighter cut of meat covered in a spicy dry rub.
Revelette produces their own Bourbon; the first batch was released in 2023 and the second batch in 2024. In conjunction with Kentucky based Bardstown Bourbon Company, for every batch produced under Revelette, Mason typically tastes up to 40 barrels, ultimately choosing two or three for the final batch. The Revelette bourbon drinks very well in several cocktails including Tennessee Tea and or a Strawberry Julep.
And Revelette produces a very limited production olive oil from their property.
—
The catchy looking labels are an image of Mason’s right thumb. He wanted a modern and minimalist look for the wines with an image of his ‘thumbprint’ representing his ‘take’ on crafting a Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. And Kathryne, a talented contract lawyer, also designed the eye-catching labels. All their wines are enclosed by the glass Vinolok™, especially useful for preserving the wines a few extra days. This is a valued feature, especially for by the bottle programs at restaurants.
Total production varies annually, but has been around 1,400 cases with plans to grow the brand up to 1,800 cases. Market exposure has primarily been wholesale to date; this makes sense with their own restaurants and the wines crafted to be enjoyed with food. Their commitment to premium restaurants has helped both validate their brand (especially during its early years) and increase brand recognition. Some top restaurants in New York City that carry their wines include Madison Park, Jean-Georges and Centurion New York. And others include the Four Seasons in Palo Alto, CA, The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch and at the Four Seasons in Nashville.
Locally the wines may be available at Brix Restaurant, Rutherford Grill and at the Four Seasons in Calistoga. The wines are also sold direct to consumer through their membership list. For more information, to join the wine club or to purchase wines, visit: www.revelettewines.com
Leave a Reply