Zinfandel & Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California

Howell Mountain Vineyards was founded in 1988 by three well-known vineyard owners: Jerre Sears and Joyce Black Sears of the Black Sears Vineyard, and Mike Beatty of Beatty Ranch. These two properties together form Howell Mountain Vineyards. Planted to Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, these are world-class vineyard sites that produce some of the finest grapes California has to offer. Fruit from these vineyards have contributed to some of California's most prestigious wines ­ Dunn Vineyards, Cornerstone, Turley, Duckhorn and Rocking Horse to name a few. Howell Mountain Vineyards continues to sell grapes to other wineries as well as make wine for themselves.

The Team at Howell Mountain Vineyards: (from left) Ted Lemon, Mike Beatty, Joyce Black Sears, Jerre Sears

Mike Beatty manages vineyard operations. With a degree from Stanford, and many years in the scientific / medical world, he returned in the late seventies to his family heritage of farming. For more than twenty vintages, Mike has farmed and harvested the grapes from his Old Vine Zinfandel vineyard (with vines over 80 years old) and mature Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Beatty Ranch was a significant part of Ridge's Howell Mountain Vineyards Zinfandel in the eighties, and often received its own vineyard designation on the label. Due to the gradual slope and high elevation (1,800 feet above sea level), the vineyard tends to have consistently warm days with fewer temperature fluctuations than most in the Napa Valley. Beatty Ranch is dry-farmed using minimal chemicals to achieve maximum intensity of character.

Joyce Black Sears, a native of Napa Valley, has a Ph.D from the University of California at Berkeley, and was a therapist for many years. Jerre comes from a business background of investing and venture capital, and has a doctorate degree in psychology. They live atop a ridge with breathtaking views on Howell Mountain. At 2,400 feet, their vineyard is said to be one of the highest in elevation in all of Napa County. Both bears and mountain lions are frequently seen on the property. With an eastern face, the vineyard receives morning sun and afternoon warmth - ideal for maintaining consistent daytime temperatures that unfold into warm nights. The Black Sears Vineyard is 25 acres in size, and primarily planted to Zinfandel with 5 acres devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes from the vineyard have been lauded by the press, and have been vineyard-designated under several eminent brands.

In addition to top notch vineyards, the Winemaker, Ted Lemon, is recognized as one Napa Valley's finest. Ted has had great experience both in Burgundy, where he was the first American winemaker at a Burgundian domaine, and in California as winemaker and consulting enologist on a number of notable projects. Ted understands how to maximize the character from each vineyard site. Always working to translate superb grapes into superb wine, Ted has helped establish Howell Mountain Vineyards as the esteemed brand it is today.