Vinatieri Vineyards

Vinatieri Vineyards was founded by vintner Pat Vinatieri when he purchased his nearly 3-acre property south of the town of Yountville in 1978. He later built an impressive Tuscan-styled home in 2004. This western part of the Yountville sub AVA is prime terroir for growing premium wine grapes; nearby neighbors include the Sleeping Lady Vineyard, Elyse Winery, Hill Family Winery and Bell Wine Cellars.

Of personal note, Vinatieri Vineyards was among the very first of the small producers we visited with back in 2007, a year after we began the Napa Wine Project. Other early producers we met with included Amizetta Vineyard and Ruston Vineyard, both also still actively producing. To date we have visited, tasted and extensively written about more than 1,250 Napa Valley wineries or unique wine brands.

The family name Vinatieri literally translates to winemaker, means ‘wine of the earth’ and also refers to someone involved in viticulture. And if the name sounds familiar for those who follow the NFL, Pat is the uncle of Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri (elected in 2026) formerly of the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.

Pat has visited Italy many times and over the decades, fell in love with the old-world style of wine making. During his time in Italy he would ask to visit the most “well-known” winery and or winemaker in a particular region. He would make the most of these visits, often sitting down with the winemakers and “picking their brains” for ideas and techniques both in terms of winemaking and viticulture. These visits were the inspiration for planting his vineyard and emulating a winemaking style that closely resembles the top winemakers in northern Italy.

During the early to mid 1990s in Napa Valley numerous vineyards were planting Cabernet Sauvignon exclusively on their most coveted soils and and planting other varieties elsewhere. Instead in 1993, Pat planted a two-acre field blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties including Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot all together on the same property. While Napa Valley historically had been planted to field blends, the varieties were often Italian, not a field blend of Bordeaux wine grapes.

His intention was to blend all the varieties together into a singular wine, an expression of all the grapes from the best terroir. Prior to producing wine commercially, Pat made home-wine from this property for himself, friends and family. And after receiving much encouragement and praise for his wine, he decided to offer it commercially.

The first vintage of Vinatieri Vineyards was in 2001; it is called the Grand Meritage. Regardless of vintage, this bottling is always co-fermented including the five varieties from the property, is unfiltered, exhibits plenty of extraction, is richly flavored and always full bodied. Vinatieri’s wine is highly food friendly and is meant to be consumed with food, friends or family, engaging conversation and in a setting that is never meant to be rushed.

Why Yountville?
The Yountville AVA serves as the critical “hinge” of the Napa Valley, marking the transition point where the cool maritime influence from the San Pablo Bay begins to yield to the inland heat of the northern valley. Within this district, the western side of the valley floor (where Vinatieri Vineyard is located) represents a viticultural sweet spot. This narrow strip of land, tucked against the base of the Mayacamas Mountains, offers a specific set of environmental advantages that produce wines defined by structural elegance and plush fruit. Unlike the central valley floor, which can sometimes suffer from excessive water retention, the western edge is defined by its superior drainage and unique topographical position. Vinatieri Vineyard is located at an elevation ranging from 20 to 200 feet.

The primary geological advantage of the western valley floor lies in its alluvial fan systems. Over millennia, erosion from the Mayacamas range has deposited a mixture of gravel, silt, and rock onto the flatlands. Because these deposits are coarser than the heavier clays found near the Napa River, they provide exceptional internal drainage. This environment creates moderate vine stress, which is essential for high-quality viticulture. Rather than focusing on canopy growth and leafy green expansion, the vines are forced to direct their metabolic energy toward the development and ripening of the grape clusters. This results in smaller berries with a higher skin-to-juice ratio, leading to deeper color and more concentrated flavors.

Beyond the soil, the western side of the Yountville AVA benefits from a distinct microclimate created by the “Mayacamas Shadow.” As the sun moves across the sky during the peak heat of the afternoon, the towering peaks of the mountains to the west cast an early shadow over these vineyards. While the eastern side of the valley, toward the Silverado Trail, continues to absorb intense direct radiation and heat, the western floor begins to cool down significantly earlier. This cooling effect is crucial for acid retention. By lowering the ambient temperature during the final hours of the day, the grapes preserve their natural acidity, which prevents the resulting wine from becoming overly jammy or “flabby” on the palate. This allows for a longer “hang time,” where the grapes can achieve full phenolic ripeness—maturing the seeds and skins—without the sugar levels skyrocketing too quickly.

The maritime influence in Yountville further enhances this cooling effect. Yountville acts as a funnel for the fog and breezes rolling in from the bay. On the western valley floor, these breezes are constant and refreshing. This airflow is a natural defense mechanism against mildew and rot, as it keeps the fruit zones dry even in humid conditions. Furthermore, the western side sits slightly higher than the riverbed but remains flat enough to maintain the soil depth required for consistent yields. This combination of mountain-influenced drainage and valley-floor water access creates a reliable ripening environment that is less susceptible to the extreme vintage variability seen in more exposed or poorly drained sites.

The resulting wines from this specific pocket of Yountville possess a signature texture often referred to as “silky.” While mountain fruit can produce rugged, aggressive tannins and center-valley fruit can be overly soft, the western floor fruit offers a middle ground of refined, fine-grained tannins. The flavor profile typically leans toward deep red and blue fruits, such as black cherry and plum, accompanied by a subtle minerality or “dusty” quality derived from the alluvial debris. This unique intersection of mountain power and valley floor elegance makes the western side of Yountville one of the consistently parts of Napa Valley for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Select Wines
Tasting notes coming by late March 2026.

—

The wine is available primarily through the Vinatieri Vineyards website and contacting Pat directly via phone or email. Production is very small – typically only 150 to 450 cases are produced annually, dependent on each year’s harvests. Select vintages are sometimes available locally; for example, we have seen the wine in the past at Wine Country Connection in Yountville.

For more information, to join their allocation list or to purchase wines including both current releases and library vintages, please visit: www.vinatieriwine.net

NOTE: this review has been identified as needing a *major* update. We will revisit and significantly update this profile by March 2026.