Sequoia Grove Winery

Sequoia Grove Winery was founded in 1978 by James and Barbara Allen when tbe couple purchased the existing property; the winery on site was bonded in 1980 the same year as their first vintage. James’ brother Steve managed the 24-acre vineyard at the time. James, a former language interpreter for the United Nations in Europe was also a founding partner of Domaine Carneros and was instrumental in creating the Rutherford sub appellation.

Prior to moving to Napa Valley, he explored the possibilities of growing grapes in other western states including Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Looking for a more mild climate, he left New Mexico but not before he helped found the New Mexico Wines and Vines society.

Besides dominating the Napa Men’s Softball League in the early 1980s, winemaking efforts at Sequoia Grove were also being richly rewarded; the 1982 Sequoia Grove Estate Cabernet Sauvignon won the gold medal at the International Wine Competition in London. The 1981 Sequoia Grove Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon received a platinum medal at the 1985 America Wine Competition. The wines continue to receive accolades including the 2015 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon which was named one of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of 2018.

Since 2002, the winery has been owned by the Kopf family who own Kopbrand, a New York based wine and distribution company founded by the family in 1944. Locally, they also own St. Francis Winery in neighboring Sonoma County and 50% of Domaine Carneros in partnership with France based Taittinger.

This small charming looking winery with a cozy tasting room is located in what is a renovated old barn dating from 1908, located just off of Highway 29, one mile north of the Oakville Grocery. The inside of this ‘barn’ has been excellently refurbished creating a warm, elegant and intimate tasting environment. Visitors will quickly see how the winery took its name as there are two large Sequoia trees growing right outside the main entrance to the tasting room as well as a small stand of additional trees near the picnic area, planted in 1908. The winery is located in the Rutherford sub-appellation and is located on 22 acres.

The property has a long history with numerous owners. An article in the Napa Register dated July 12, 1895 mentions the property owner at that time was Dennis Downey (born in Ireland, died in 1908). He had moved to Napa Valley in 1858 and purchased his 119 acre ranch in 1863. At the time this article was printed, he had 45 acres planted to corn and 20 acres to vineyard, although previously he had 40 acres of vines as a significant portion of his vineyards were killed by phylloxera. The the rest of his land was for pasturing. The article also mentioned he had a cellar on the property containing 25,000 gallons of wine.

He was making wine earlier than this; an article in The Napa Register dated October 4, 1889 mentions he had made 30,000 gallons this year and had made wine the previous year. His cellar was built sometime around those years as a mention in The Napa Register dated August 10, 1888 indicated Downey was soon beginning construction of his own wine cellar for a price of approximately $2,000 (a wooden building on a stone foundation).

On June 3, 1886 a large barn on the property completely burned down; Downey lost five horses, a bunch of feed and other farm implements. Unfortunately he did not carry insurance for the loss which was estimated to be $2000. Two years later the old steamship Julia blew up in port in Vallejo, killing at least 29 people. It was described as one of the worst steamship explosions ever on the west coast. And Downey witnessed the aftermath of the explosion.

Another owner, Louis Kuebeler purchase this property in 1906 and used the property as a farm for chickens, wine grapes and fruit trees through the 1930s. He died in 1942.

As visitors drive in, the vineyard to the right is planted with a variety of Bordeaux blending grapes. Sequoia Grove also sources grapes from select vineyards around Napa Valley. They are primarily known for their Bordeaux style, balanced and complex wines. Located next to the main entrance inside of the tasting room are large wooden vats. These are called puncheons and are wooden casks designed to hold wine during its aging. They were imported from France and reassembled on location but are no longer being used except for their aesthetic character.

If you enjoy balanced wines with rich layered flavors Sequoia Grove’s Cabernet Sauvignons will not disappoint. This variety is what they are known for; most of their Cabernet Sauvignon wines are slightly blended with other Bordeaux varieties, although we have enjoyed at least one of these wines as 100% varietal. Their wines have performed well in various wine competitions. At the time of one of our visits, one of their employees had personally visited and tasted at over 100 Napa Valley wineries; we always love when we meet other ambitious Napa Valley wine enthusiasts as it inspires and motivates us to keep going, especially when we are feeling overwhelmed with the Napa Wine Project. Currently we have visited, tasted and extensively written about nearly 1,200 Napa Valley based wineries or producers.

In 2003 one of the huge Sequoia trees was hit by lightning and crashed through part of the tasting room. Fortunately, everything was able to be restored. And during one of our visits to the property we spotted a shy coyote wandering among the vines; this animal came almost right up to the tasting room until he saw us approaching and quickly retreated.

Sequoia Grove makes wines from a number of vineyards ranging from the southern part of the valley (cooler) to the warmer northern reaches in Calistoga. Their Napa Valley wines comprise the majority of their total production. Wines that have much smaller production which are only available at the winery or through their wine clubs, are their Vineyard and Winemaker Series bottlings.

We have always found their staff helpful and friendly. A number of experiences require advance notice. Walk-in guests can choose from a Current Release Tasting or a Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting; if you don’t want to taste through a flight – unlike most wineries, you can order specific wines by the glass. Very cool. Weather permitting, tastings are held outdoors in a park-like setting.

For a number of years we used to refer to the three ‘m’s at Sequoia Grove: Morisoli Vineyard and their winemakers Mike Trujillo & Molly Hill; neither are with Sequoia Grove any longer.

Select Wines
Whites/Rosé
The 2023 Sequoia Grove Rosé of Grenache Russian River Valley Sonoma County (El Diablo Vineyard) is pale pink in color; the bouquet smells minerally and flinty yet also expresses a distinctive vibrancy and freshness. Its fruit aromas are of wild strawberry, lime, ruby grapefruit, rose petals and a hint of cranberry. Saddled perfectly between lively acidity, a supple and creamy texture, and delicate flavors, this wine drinks very well by itself. The palate offers notes of strawberry, raspberry, pomelo and Rainier cherry. If we had more than two thumbs, they would all be pointing up in describing this elegant and easy drinking bottling. We would love to drink this with a fresh garden salad topped with grilled fava beans and perhaps finely sliced strawberries lightly drizzled in olive oil, vinegar and sea salt. Its alcohol is a comfortable 13.1%. Made as in intentional rosé with the grapes harvested early for freshness and whole cluster pressed.

The 2022 Sequoia Grove Chardonnay, Napa Valley is medium gold in color; the bouquet immediately offers a honeyed note including of honeycomb and honeysuckle accompanied by stone fruit aromas of nectarine, and yellow peach. There are some tropical scents at play as well, of ripe pineapple and mango. And there are notes of dessert including creme Brule and vanilla pudding. The palate reveals flavors of baked pear, Golden delicious apple, honeycomb, melting butter, creme Brule, butterscotch and caramel. There is a perception on the palate of sweetness – from the the rich and ripe fruit, not from residual sugar. Its texture is rounded and supple, and reminded us of the soft fur felt while petting a young Miniature Schnauzer. This extended finish is flavor-filled and brightly lit. This wine drinks nicely by itself.

Reds
The 2021 Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in color and nearly opaque; after our annual three month winter break from wine in Thailand, this is one of the first wines we are enjoying upon our return. It offers the “Napa Cab Sav nose”, expressing so much fruit, ripeness and oak all rolled up in one aromatic profile. The bouquet offers scents of blackberry, black cherry and boysenberry, accompanied by toasted oak, old cedar box, dark pepper, a gamey and savory character and assorted dried herbs. As the wine evolves it offers a note of espresso. Ripe but balanced across the palate, especially in terms of its bright acidity, this wine tastes like blackberry, Persian mulberry, toasted oak, dark chocolate, crushed peppercorn, dried bay leaf and dried sage. The moderately gripping tannins persist with a gravelly, dusty, drying and gritty character. Savory. Dark. Gamey. This wine would be a perfect pairing with a thick and juicy ribeye on the BBQ covered in a spicy dry rub.

The 2021 Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Syrah is medium purple in color; the bouquet smells like bread just popped out of the toaster, bacon fat, cured meats, cedar, suede leather, dark chocolate, espresso, ground coffee beans with its fruit scents showing raisins, stewed plums and dark cherry. The palate offers plenty of fruit including blackberry, boysenberry and dark mulberry accompanied by dark chocolate. There are also flavors of dark licorice, cardamom and clove. The tannins are finely woven and rounded, presenting an approachable texture, even in its youth. The fruit parallels the texture on the finish. For reference, we tasted this wine three years post vintage.

The 2019 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Franc is deep ruby and almost purple. The bouquet is floral including violets, accompanied by red berries, dried sage, red chili spice nose and light cedar. This wine smells simultaneously elegant but also sports plenty of fruit. Superbly balanced, its flavors include raspberry, currant and cherry. The finish is bright and doesn’t quite cross into the territory of being tart. Lingers with a light dusty character and assorted dried herbs accompanied by fine-grained and polished tannins which feel slightly chalky. This is an easy drinking and comfortable bottling. Savory.

The 2012 Sequoia Grove Christian Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from a tiny 4-acre vineyard in Coombsville. This is a noticeably dark wine in the glass. The bouquet is initially smoky and as it opens reveals an earthy character reminiscent of a tractor discing up dry soil. After it has had even more time to breathe one picks up a licorice character. The wine is supple and rounded on the entry with a juicy component from the lively acidity. The tannins are dense and chewy especially on the finish.

The 2012 Sequoia Grove Tonella Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon offers a pretty and a floral perfume driven bouquet accompanied by sweet notes of ripe black cherry. That palate features robust grippy tannins. A lingering tartness belies an underlying acidity. This is a versatile food wine.

The 2011 Sequoia Grove Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon has the most unique nose of any of their 2009-2012 red wines we tried. It is brimming with intense and dark aromas including forest floor, a muddiness, tar and mushroom-like with a bell-pepper herbal characteristic which does not carry onto the palate. This is a complex and layered bouquet. The wine is very dark in the glass; the palate offers a richness of flavor with long lasting and grippy tannins which coat both the sides and back of the palate.

Cambium is named after the layer on trees that provide nutrients and is also a nod to the giant Sequoias on the property. The 2011 Sequoia Grove Cambium vintage reveals a perceptible dustiness on the bouquet with notes of blueberry, black currant and dark chocolate. The palate: dusty sweet cherry pie with additional fruit nuances including blueberry and blackberry. Moderate long-lasting tannins show on the finish.

The 2009 Sequoia Grove Lamoreaux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from a vineyard in the Oak Knoll District. Initially it shows notes of sage on the bouquet with influences from the oak revealing a bit of vanilla. Darker fruit shows on the palate with minerality notes up front as well as dark chocolate undertones. The fine grained somewhat earthy tannins are delicate and linger on the extended finish.

The Sequoia Grove Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah (Atlas Peak) is one of their low production wines and only available for purchase at the winery. We have visited this particular vineyard before; its steep and extremely rocky which was quite obvious due to the large piles of rocks strewn around which were removed from the actual vineyards. Grapevines thrive in these types of growing conditions. The 2004 Sequoia Grove Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah bottling is inky dark and rich in fruit especially on the mid palate. Several layers of spices show towards the finish; the small amount of Merlot in the blend adds an overall softness and rounded mouth feel.

The 2004 Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal and is aged in all American oak. The grapes for this wine come from several premium vineyards in Oakville and Rutherford including Morisoli and a Beckstoffer owned property. Compared to the Rutherford Bench Cabernet Sauvignon this is a more robust wine with tannins sporting a significant and extended grip.

The 2004 Sequoia Grove Rutherford Bench Cabernet Sauvignon is a supple and elegant Bordeaux blend from grapes sourced entirely from their estate property. An earthy quality is present in the aromas with rich fruit layers across the palate and an extended finish.

Instead of the almost obligatory Riedel glasses used by wineries these days at the time of our visit they were using the German made Schott Zwiesel glasses. Ask your wine-host to demonstrate the durability of these glasses by tapping them on the counter and hope they don’t actually break during this demonstration. These glasses have a pleasing curvature about halfway up the glass which really catches the wine well when swirling.

Cabernet Culinary Challenge V2.0
A highly unique offering in Napa Valley was Sequoia Grove’s food and wine educational and competitive sit down tasting. This experience is no longer offered but we keep our notes here for historical reference. The Cabernet Culinary Challenge V2.0 was setup for 4 to 12 people seated indoors in their private closed door VIP room adjoining the main tasting room. Weather permitting, larger groups were able to participate outdoors. A wine educator led the group through the characteristics of a flight of Cabernet Sauvignon wines and what makes them different based on a variety of factors including their terroir.

And soil samples on site were collected from different adjoining blocks within the same vineyards clearly show the dramatic differences in types of soils – sometimes even within close proximity of each other.

After the Cabernet tastings the real fun began. A wide assortment of various charcuterie, toppings, and seasonal items were presented on large plates along with a batch of crostinis. The idea was to build a crostini using a minimum of three items which pairs best with their Stagecoach Cabernet Sauvignon. Hint: balance is key here; some of the items will dramatically change the flavor and structure of the wine and you have to differentiate between what degrades the flavor and what enhances it. Salty, sweet and sour are some of the key components to be aware of during this competitive challenge.

Creative participants would name their crostinis. However the name “Stagecoach Starter” was already taken 🙂 as this was the winning entry from our team (see photos below). Each member of the winning team received several small prizes in a gift bag. The food items provided light nibbles. A multi salad lunch sourced from a nearby gourmet deli was able to be added following the challenge.

This tasting was ideal for small groups or part of corporate events that wanted to focus on both wine education as well as team building. Allow 2.5 hours.

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In 2018 construction finished, expanding both winery space, barrel rooms and additional hospitality space. In July 2018 Sequoia Grove began offering a 5-course lunch paired with several of their premium wines (The Chef’s Table experience) in a private room in the same building that also houses their kitchen and culinary team. The dishes change seasonally using locally sourced fresh ingredients. This experience seats no more than 16 guests. This experience includes a walk through their tiny demonstration vineyard with information provided about trellising, how to tell grape varieties apart from one another through leaf identification (a field of botany called Ampelography) and other important vineyard information. As of our latest update to this review, this experience is offered on select days at 11 and 2pm.

In 2023 Sequoia Grove purchased over 100 acres on Mt. Veeder with an uppermost elevation of 1,700 feet. Donald Hess, the founder of Hess Collection used to own this particular property. About 75% of the site is forested with the remaining acres planted to red Bordeaux varieties. The first vintage produced from this property by Sequoia Grove was in 2023.

The winery offers a number of special events throughout the year including several brunches, release parties, winemaker events and more. For more information, to purchase wines, to schedule a tasting or culinary experience and or to join one of their wine clubs, visit: www.sequoiagrove.com

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