There is a winery north of Calistoga once known as one of the Big Three Jacob Wineries at the end of the nineteenth century. There was Jacob Beringer, Jacob Schram, and Jacob Grimm. Jacob Grimm and his brother had the Brothers Grimm Winery. This winery remained active 'til, in 1964, a big forest fire came through there and while burning all the way to Santa Rosa that year, completely destroyed the vineyard! All that remained was a small grove of redwoods that show the evidence of that fire to this day.
Twelve years passeed as several people tried to rebuild the vineyard that once was. Finally, Jerry Seps and his wife purchased the property. Jerry was a professor at Standford and longed to try his hand at wine making. Originally, he planted all Zinfandel and to this day the primary wines are Zinfandel.
Jerry has a style of wine making which I would classify as old world. He picks the fruit at lower brix and higher acid which gives his wine excellent longevity. The oldest vintage is drinking excellently right now. His reserve is actually a barrel select which he chooses on that basis. He has divided the vineyard into many blocks and treats the barrels in the cave the same way . He does a Zinfandel blended with Viongier that is well received and a Cabernet. His wine is excellent and should not be missed.
By Appointment (707) 942-5334 Story Book Mountain
Comments