“...where a cool breeze flows over the vineyard every day allowing the grapes to ripen slowly & evenly.”
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Michael Marston has donated 240 acres of Marston Family Vineyard ranch to Forever Wild conservation easement. |
The Vineyard
Marston Family Vineyard was first planted in the late 1890’s on the southern slopes of Spring Mountain, just west of St. Helena. The vineyard is part of the appellation known as the Spring Mountain District. The vineyards comprise about 10 percent of the 400 acres of heavily wooded land. The vines planted are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. During the growing season, the terraced hillsides, which range in elevation from 700 to 1,100 feet, benefit from cool afternoon breezes and daytime temperatures that are as much as ten degrees cooler than the lower elevations of the Napa Valley. The vineyard is situated above the fog line, resulting in extended hours of sunlight. The additional sunshine coupled with the lower temperatures allow the fruit to ripen more slowly and uniformly, which ultimately enhances the wine’s concentration, complexity and texture. Furthermore, the rocky, mountain soils limit the vigor of the vines. As a consequence the clusters and the individual berries are smaller, which dramatically reduces overall yields. These diminished crop levels intensify the character of the wine. There is an old belief attributed to the French that grape vines are like people in that they need to suffer a little in order to develop character.
History of the Vineyard
The earliest recorded information available to us explains that a Mr. Smith purchased our property in 1895. By the late 1890’s, a section of the rocky hillside was planted to grapes. Access to the vineyard was by horseback on the Old Wells Fargo Road to Santa Rosa. In the 1930’s, down in the canyon, overlooking the North fork of Sulphur Creek, there lived a silent movie star with a squeaky voice who built a little log cabin filled with twig and bark furniture that he had made for his refuge. This gentleman had played macho roles in silent movies, only to be relegated to “has been” status when “talkies” made their appearance in America. He spent the rest of his days here, living as a hermit.After World War II, Al Menasco, an inventor, barnstorming pilot, and aviation pioneer, bought the property. Al’s best man in his last marriage, Clark Gable, visited frequently. There are stories of the two carousing on the property with gun shots into the evening. When Clark married Kay Spreckels, Al was best man and the newlyweds spent their honeymoon in the main house. Al’s flying adventures are well documented and his aeronautical memorabilia are now in the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum. Al had a sincere interest in wine as well and became a pioneer in developing new vineyard practices. He experimented with different types of vineyard spacing and planted a dozen varieties of grapes in different soil types and micro climates on the property. He kept meticulous records of his quest to discover the optimum growing conditions for these varietals. Michael and Alexandra Marston were part of a consortium that bought this property in 1969, with some of the original vineyards from the turn of the century still in production. Michael and Alexandra ultimately bought the total property in 1976 and have energetically maintained and enhanced the property since then. Over the last twenty five years, the Marston Vineyard has produced numerous award winning wines. Andre Tchelistcheff helped craft small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel in the early 1980’s. Sean Thackery produced legendary Petite Syrahs from the Marston Vineyard in the early 1990’s winning “Best Red Wine in the World.” For the last decade Beringer has been responsible for the vineyard. Cabernet Sauvignon from Marston Vineyard is in the Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet. Marston Vineyard designated Cabernet is also made by Beringer. 1998 marked the beginning of a new era for Marston Family Vineyard. The first Marston Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was made by noted winemaker Philippe Melka. This wine each vintage will remain “forever limited” to 500 cases and is produced from selected blocks on the property. Al Menasco would be proud!
Tours of the Vineyard
Private Vineyard Tours by appointment only. Contact Elizabeth to schedule a tour.
Tour of the Vineyard
A panoramic tour of the vineyard created by ArtStream.
Map of the Area
To view a map of Spring Mountain District, click here.
Map courtesy of Spring Mountain District.
To view a map of the Napa Valley, click here.
Map courtesy of NVVA.
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