Vine Cliff Winery

Vine Cliff Winery was originally established in 1871 by George Burrage and N.W. Tucker and was a sizable structure (4 stories, the uppermost three stories were built of wood). Burrage and Tucker purchased the property in 1870 from the George Yount estate (Yount died in 1865). Incidentally one of Yount’s vineyards at the time was planted on the site of what is now the nearby Rector Dam (the Rector Reservoir Wildlife Area Trailhead leading off of the Silverado Trail climbs up the hills before plateauing, giving one views looking down on this body of water).

George and Aurelia Burrage were from New England; when George’s chairmaking business was destroyed the family eventually settled in Napa Valley in the early 1860s with their young family including their son Albert. Albert who became a prominent attorney, made his money working with Standard Oil & Trust and copper mining and would later build the impressive Burrage House at 314 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston and a winter home in Redlands California, the 16,000 square foot Burrage Mansion (both homes still standing). And he would donate funds to build the Burrage Hospital in Boston (1900-1946) for crippled children.

The Burrage Mansion was built in 1899 and is located in Boston’s toney Back Bay neighborhood. It was under Burrage family ownership until 1947 when Albert’s widow Alice died. The mansion was then converted in to offices for doctors. It was renovated in 1959 and then again more recently converting rooms inside to individual living spaces for sale or for lease. In 1990 the mansion was purchased by Boston Back Bay Board & Care Limited Partnership.

Unfortunately, both George Burrage and Tucker died within a year of each other, George in 1875, and after his death his family moved out of Napa Valley to San Francisco before eventually moving back to Massachusetts. During their time in the Napa Valley, Aurelia was one of the founders of the Napa County Public Library.

Burrage Cellar, also known as the Burrage & Tucker Cellar operated for almost every year for nearly 30 years, until phylloxera destroyed the vineyards on site. The winery is a short drive into the lower hills of the Vaca mountains from Silverado Trail, only about a 10-minute drive from Yountville. The property has featured a number of owners over the years including in 1880 when it was bought by San Francisco based Colonel John Fry and former Kentucky sheriff (died in 1901), who had done very well in the Nevada silver industry including as president of Crown Point and Belcher mines in the late 1860s prior to his purchase of the property in 1880. He also invested heavily in San Francisco real estate. Later the winery was sold to the California Winery Association; production ceased even before Prohibition – sometime right around 1900.

Burrage House, Boston

The original winery building no longer exists – one of its tenants for a short time in the 1870s was G. Pampel and Terrell Grigsby; Grigsby learned how to make wine here and would go on to build T.L. Grigsby-Occidental Winery several miles to the south (what is now Regusci Winery). Once the cellar was vacated, remarkably the property was not planted to grapevines for about 85 years and the winery was also not in operation.

Nell & Charles (Chuck) Sweeney purchased the 100-acre property in 1985 and sold it in 2023. Chuck worked for the parent company at the time of Silverado Country Club and would often visit Napa Valley and was familiar with the area. He was a visionary in the hotel and hospitality world – and was instrumental in creating the Embassy Suites hotel brand (including the local Embassy Suites on California Street built in 1985 in the city of Napa) as well as co-founding Crown Sterling Suites. They built a ‘summer home’ on site (they had previously owned a homesite in Calistoga) and in 1986 planted 16 rows of vines on a slope next to their home.

NOTE: In late September 2023 it was announced that Vine Cliff Winery was sold to Canadian businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Stephan Crétier. As is very common in Napa Valley, locals hear about pending or completed sales of various properties far in advance of when the news officially ‘drops’; we had already been notified of its sale prior.

Stephan founded GardaWorld in 1995; in more than 25 years the company has grown into a formidable and large security provider including providing security guards and armored car services and is the largest cash services provider in North America. The still privately held company is headquartered in Montreal and employs approximately 130,000 people maintaining 425 branch offices in 45 countries. He and his wife Stephanie are also owners of Roy Estate, also in Napa Valley. Stephanie is an actress with a number of credits to her name including in both television and film. In addition to Napa Valley, they divide their time between Montreal and Dubai.

In 2019 the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts opened the Stephan Crétier and Stéphany Maillery Wing for the Arts of One World located on the 4th floor of the Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion. The 10 galleries contain more than 1,500 objects representing artists from 6 continents. We will visit this space as time and budget permits and will update our notes here and add photographs.

NOTE: this review has been identified as needing a *major update*. Huge changes are underway at the winery including building a new winery next to the cave, and expanding the square footage of the cave. Since the transition in ownership, the winemaking team has changed. The first vintage produced by the current winemaking team was in 2023. We will visit and update our tasting notes after these wines have been released, sometime in 2026.

Today approximately 25 acres are planted on site, spread throughout 14 separate blocks with most of the vineyard located on steep slopes. Over the years the family purchased several vineyards in Calistoga, on Howell Mountain and in Carneros (some of which they later sold). Today along with their 100-acre Oakville estate property, they own 20 acres on the Napa Valley side of Carneros planted to approximately 12 acres of Chardonnay grapes.

Vine Cliff is located in an enviable vineyard neighborhood set back from the Silverado Trail in the eastern hills of Napa Valley. These hillsides are highly coveted for producing superior wines; neighbors in the general vicinity include Oakville Ranch and Dalla Valle Vineyards. The hillsides in this eastern part of the valley (the Vaca mountain range) contain dramatically different vegetation then what grows on the other side of the valley in the Mayacamas mountain range. The slopes here are often more open with chaparral growing rather than the more forested slopes on the other side of the valley.

Prior to selling Vine Cliff, the Sweeney’s invested smartly into the property over the years including planting Bordeaux varieties that do well in this part of Napa Valley (Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot and Malbec). Interestingly, a significant amount of their more modern-day plantings, like the original plantings about a century prior, suffered from phyloxxera and had to be pulled out in the 1990s. Later they built a production facility (near the original caves) and drilled a 15,000 square foot cave. Highlights of this property (aside from the world class grapes produced here) include the stellar views, a small pond and two quicksilver mines. Alan Phillips was their founding winemaker; he previously worked at Rutherford Hill and was the founding winemaker at Monticello Vineyards. Prior to the sale of Vine Cliff, Nell Sweeney was the sole proprietress although her son Rob and his wife Ginny helped with the operations.

Ginny is also one of four partners in her namesake company, Ginny’s Gin, a product created by winemakers from grapes and grain. This gin offers a pleasing herbal note on the bouquet including juniper berries, wild sage and a citrus peel zest; it is creamy across the palate, intensely flavored and shows a slight citrus sweetness that shows up after the warmth of the primary finish. This gin is very enjoyable straight up but as we were tasting we were also thinking about enjoying our next Negroni at Ciccio’s in Yountville. The back label is a ‘name cloud’, creatively displaying the first names of family and friends who are integral to the Ginny’s Gin story.

All visits to the property are by prior appointment. If the weather permits, guests may taste outside in the shade of the nearby trees overlooking the pond and other parts of their property. The caves are nicely laid out with plenty of space, so the barrels do not need to be stacked. Production has varied dramatically over the years but currently is around 6,000 cases annually.

Select Wines
Vine Cliff primarily focuses on two varieties, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, however from time to time, they will make wines from other varieties.

Chardonnay
The Vine Cliff 2006 Chardonnay presents a beautiful medium golden hue in the glass, serving as a standout example of the elegance and depth that can be achieved with premium Carneros-grown fruit. Much of this wine’s character is derived from the highly regarded French Dijon clones, which are known for producing smaller berries with concentrated flavors and high natural acidity. The bouquet features an array of attractive aromas, ranging from lush tropical fruits to fresh stone fruits. On the palate, the wine transitions into classic orchard fruit flavors, led by ripe apricot and crisp apple, which are seamlessly integrated with indulgent notes of toasted almond and the caramelized sweetness of crème brûlée. Pairing suggestion: pan seared halibut.

Cabernet Franc
The 2019 Vine Cliff 1871 Cabernet Franc is blended with 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is deep ruby and opaque with some amaranthine color to the rim. The nose smells like a diversity of fruits, including cherry, pomegranate, raspberry and fig. The oak plays a light and lovely supporting role both on the bouquet and the palate. This wine tastes like red cherry, Santa Rosa plum, blackberry and blueberry. For reference, we tasted this six years post vintage. We love the texture presented at this age; the tannins are starting to lose their edges and are becoming more rounded. They linger with a persistent and pronounced chalky and dense character. This wine has loads of life ahead of it still.

The 2005 Vine Cliff Cabernet Franc is an exceptionally well-crafted expression of this variety, notably devoid of the vegetal or “green” characteristics—such as bell pepper or herbaceous stems—that can sometimes define cooler-climate versions of the grape. Instead, this bottling is an exuberant celebration of pure fruit, showcasing the riper, more opulent side of Cabernet Franc that thrives in the sun-drenched soils of Napa Valley. While the story often told in the valley is that Cabernet Franc is a rarity primarily reserved for blending, this estate-grown offering proves that it possesses the depth and character to stand prominently on its own. While it is true that Cabernet Sauvignon reigns supreme in terms of acreage, this 2005 vintage highlights how Vine Cliff utilizes its specific hillside terroir and diverse clonal selections to produce a varietal wine with its own unique and compelling identity.

Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2013 Vine Cliff Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon offers an inviting complexity, leading with a pleasing sweetness of fruit on the bouquet that is gracefully intertwined with savory hints of dried sage and nuanced toasted oak. This wine is notably robust, standing as a powerful reflection of the rugged eastern hills of the Oakville appellation and the concentrated nature of this exceptional vintage. The remarkable intensity of flavor holds its own against a structural backbone of long-lasting, surprisingly well-integrated tannins, creating a profile that is both formidable and sophisticated. It is a deeply layered wine that reveals new dimensions as it opens up in the glass. Perhaps pair with a rosemary-crusted prime rib.

The 2012 Vine Cliff Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a sophisticated expression of a standout vintage, opening with refined aromas of ripe red cherry accented by delicate hints of high-quality chocolate and a touch of white pepper. On the palate, the wine takes a savory and juicy turn, revealing a core of darker fruit that surpasses the initial red fruit notes; look for deep black currant and luscious dark cherry. Its structure is defined by dusty, somewhat robust tannins that provide a firm anchor for an exceptionally long and persistent finish. Given its remarkable balance and structural integrity, this wine possesses the backbone to age gracefully for many years to come. Pairing? Perhaps a braised lamb shank.

The 2005 Vine Cliff Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is a distinguished estate bottling that serves as a fine representation of the winery’s hillside terroir and the meticulous blending of multiple clones and distinct vineyard blocks. This is a quintessential, classic California Cabernet Sauvignon, characterized by rich and ripe fruit that is positively brimming with mountain berries. It is a muscular and powerful wine in its presence, yet it manages to exhibit a sense of restraint that keeps the fruit and structure in perfect harmony. The bouquet is further elevated by inviting hints of mocha and high-quality chocolate, along with a subtle, elegant note of smoked cedar that adds an extra layer of complexity. How about this bottling and a dish of slow roasted beef tenderloin?

The 2001 Vine Cliff Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Napa Valley is deep garnet in color and nearly opaque, representing its transition in color at 25 years post vintage. At this age the bouquet is caught somewhere in between primary and tertiary – but surprisingly still leaving more towards it primary fruits, smelling like blackberry, spiced plum, dark mulberry, boysenberry, dried tobacco, dark cocoa powder, mocha, espresso and chocolate. While smelling and tasting this bottling, we appreciated how still youthful it shows, even at this age. In a blind tasting we would have guessed there is some age here but not 25 years old. Its flavors include dark plum, blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry with a lingering lift, buoyed by its bright acidity. Juicy. The tannins are still very much grippy, sporting a fully mouth coating drying and textural tug persisting in tandem with fruit on the long-lasting finish. Lovely. Pair with a well marbled Wagyu steak and a BBQ. Its listed ABV is 14.2%. We would be confident in drinking this for another 8-10 years.

The Private Stock 16 Rows is their premiere Cabernet Sauvignon; this wine is created by selecting only the finest barrels each year. And this is the only wine that they make that is labeled with an image of the original label first used back in the 1870s.

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Their wine club is small but offers access to limited production reserve wines. It is a well-managed club with members being those who enjoy the wine and want to have access to select Vine Cliff experiences. Private meals can be arranged in their cave. Several wines are sold exclusively to guests who visit the tasting room or winery.

For more information, to schedule a visit, to purchase wine or to join one of their wine clubs, visit: www.vinecliff.com

ARCHIVED NOTES
St. Helena Tasting Room (closed, but we keep our notes here for historical reference)
In March of 2014, Vine Cliff opened a tasting room on Highway 29 just south of St. Helena (they own this property). Note: this tasting room closed permanently in late 2020 and has since transitioned into a tasting room for Ink Grade Estate Wines. We keep our notes here for historical purposes. For many years this was the site of the old St. Helena Wine Merchants wine shop. Visitors today will recognize nothing from that old building. Much of that has to Nell’s vision for the space along with prominent ‘wine country’ architect Howard Backen (died 2024) of Backen, Gillam & Kroeger Architects overseeing the design. The tasting room is contemporary and surprisingly spacious. It features a wine-bar, two private indoor tasting rooms, several indoor seating/lounge areas (with heated lamps) as well as two outdoor tasting areas. The tasting room is very centrally located.

In September 2016, Vine Cliff brought on full-time Chef Tom Stafford (fairly rare for a stand-alone Napa based tasting room). He has infused their culinary offerings with energy and creativity. Visitors on the weekends can enjoy a variety of pizzas from their wood fired oven along with salads and a cheese and charcuterie offering. Their estate produces a number of seasonal products curated by Tom (sourced from Nell’s garden). Check out the “chef’s corner” in the tasting room containing a wide variety of Tom’s pickled and cured items. Tom is passionate about pickling – and select products sold range from pickled carrots to peppers to green strawberries.

A number of tasting experiences were offered including an Estate Flight (current releases), the Elevated Flight featuring library wines and a Food & Wine Experience in which chef provides a a number of specially prepared small bites with each wine. Private tastings could also be arranged by advance notice.