Our ambition has always been to produce a premier Grand Cru style Napa "First Growth" from the terroir of our volcanic mountain ridges of Atlas Peak, and our terraced St Helena vineyards, and I believe we are the most passionately made wine in America. We may make many compromises in life, but never with our wine.
1800
The earliest stewards of what is now the upper Napa Valley were the Wappo, native gardeners and land conservationists who tended these lands until the early 1800s. The Wappo maintained a delicate balance among wildlife, water, vegetation and human impact during their occupation.1841
In 1841, the Russian Baron, Alexander Rotchef, landed in Mendocino’s Fort Ross and traveled to St Helena. He was accompanied by his wife, the beautiful Princess Helena, whose godfather was Czar Nicholas. According to local folklore, the property dates back to the mid 1800’s when it became the home of the Russian princess, Helena, who started a flower nursery, along with some grape vines on the property.1880
Robert Louis Stevenson and his new bride, Fanny Vandergrift Osbourne spent the summer of 1880 honeymooning in an abandoned mining camp on Mount St. Helena. Stevenson’s book The Silverado Squatters includes much of his experiences while living there.1980
From the 1880s to the late 1980s these lands remained under continuous vegetation and grape cultivation, surviving many successive owners.1996
In 1996, the Sill family acquired a portion of the Princess’ property, specifically the Blackrock Terrace block along the Silverado Trail.2003
Since 2003, our friend and vineyard manager, Mike Nunez, has done an exceptional job in delicately handling the growth of our grapes so as to produce fruit of unique quality.2016
In September of 2016 we completed the purchase of the 24.5 acre Ardente Estate Winery, an Atlas Peak AVA, Napa winery and vineyards whose high-ranking Cabernet Sauvignon have achieved notable accolades and top awards among California’s finest premier Cabernet Sauvignon wines. We are thrilled to have secured this truly magical vineyard.2016
In November 2016 we secured our official Federal TTB Winery license (Winegrower 2) allowing us to grow estate grapes, ferment them into alcoholic wines and sell them to our customers while collecting taxes of course!2017
Mother Nature brought us the devastation of the Atlas Peak October 2017 fires, completely destroying our Winery and numerous buildings and structures, thus, we are now faced with the rebuilding and permitting challenges of County of Napa. We are not permitted to be open to the public at this time. The majority of our 2017 vintage was harvested hours before the fires arrival.2018
Our 2015 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon received the coveted CWSA 2018 Wine of the Year award, as well as the Double Gold Medal. An amazing silver lining to 2017's disaster.2019
The French Laundry is an epic culinary experience to what Anthony Bourdain has called “the best restaurant in the world, period” and represents the pinnacle of the fine California dining experience, topping every foodie’s bucket list. In 2014 The French Laundry’s wine list was awarded The World of Fine Wine’s highest rating and in 2019 The French Laundry added Sill Family Vineyards’ 2015 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon to its wine menu.The Winemaker
Winemaker, Igor, became passionate about Bordeaux wines after being introduced to Château Margaux, Château Latour and Château Lafite Rothschild in the late 1970s by H. Lyman Emerson, a renaissance gentleman and noted fine wine collector. In 1997 through 2010 Igor worked with Francois Pinault’s Group Artemis, owner of Château Latour. Château Latour is a French wine estate, rated as a First Growth under the 1855 Bordeaux Classification and lies in the commune of Pauillac in the Médoc region of Bordeaux.
Igor went on to become a Court of Master Sommelier, judging wine competitions including the annual International Wine Challenge, earned his Masters at Oxford University’s Merton College and learned his winemaking craft via UC Davis’ viticulture program. He worked at Italian wine producer, V. Sattui Winery and Opus One Winery in Napa. Igor acquired the St. Helena appellation property some twenty nine years prior and fell in love with Napa’s numerous microclimates and unique terroirs. Thereafter, he started a thorough search for an extraordinary volcanic mountain vineyard. That search lead to the purchase of the twenty four acre Atlas Peak Mountain Winery property (formerly Ardente Estate Winery) in 2016, turning his passion for collecting fine Bordeaux and Burgundian wines into a love for producing it with an artisian Old-World approach.
Igor chose Napa’s high elevation Atlas Peak volcanic appellation on the Vaca mountain ridge given its longer sun exposure and cooler nights because it presents an obscure, distinctive area for truly great wines, those with profound boldness, elegance, density and character. There are numerous soil characteristics which provide this specific site with the mysteries that unfold in this volcanic mountain plateau’s exceptional terroir. This vineyard represents a unique piece of Napa winemaking history as it was one of the most difficult to plant, hard to farm and its quality is truly exceptional. Of course, the small size of the vineyard limits production, but then, it also produces some of the greatest cabernet fruit Napa has to offer each and every year. This secluded piece of land is turning the heads of wine critics and collectors worldwide.
There is an undeniable interest in wines born of volcanic origin, interest which seems to have evolved into a significant upward trend in the wine world. Any restaurant with pretensions of discovering beautiful, ultra premium wines will have an Atlas Peak red wine listed these days. Igor spends considerable time walking this volcanic vineyard, developing an appreciation for every row of vines in his Atlas Peak mountain vineyard. The rootstocks receive excellent drainage as a result of the igneous volcanic rock’s structure, moisture retention and aeration characteristics when combined with ideal exposure to sunlight. These wines possess all the elements of greatness, an individuality combined with elegance, extraordinary complexity, remarkable aging potential, remaining faithful to the vineyard’s pedigree. It’s this understanding and an integrated natural and precision farming approach to growing grapes that allows him to produce wines that reflect the essence, soul and spirit of this volcanic mountain range, because exceptional wines are truly created from exceptional grapes.
Like any other great work, his arose out of the passion for uncompromised quality in creating exceptional wines. As a result, his wines are receiving world-wide rave reviews for their powerful expressiveness, density, character, elegance and silk-long finish. “We’ve uncovered an amazingly serene and peaceful lifestyle along with the challenges that volcanic viticulture and Napa Valley offers.” Fine wine, sunshine, great food and romance are enticements that seduces everyone who visits here.
2015 très Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford
Our 2015 très Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted utilizing classic, Premier Grand Cru Bordeaux-style techniques from grapes grown and harvested from superior Rutherford, Napa bench vineyards. Its beautiful deep ruby color, represents a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec and 1% Petite Verdot. If wines were actors, perhaps it might be described best as having the charm, style, finesse and elegance of George Clooney. This suave wine possesses hints of blueberries and blackberries, cream-tinged cassis, silkiness of oak given the elegant nature of this wine, with pepper on the finish, a lovely mouth-feel and wonderful length on the finish. As with the nose, the palate feels polished, with lovely tannins, thus drinking very nicely now, but with patience of 4-10 years of “opening” will achieve true brilliance. Described as “absolutely exceptional” it will drink well upon release and will continue to age gracefully over many years. CWSA Gold Medal recipient. Retail: $195. All orders of 6+ bottles are at no shipping costs to you. Shipping to all our licensed states is included.
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2016 très Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford
Our 2016 très Cabernet Sauvignon, Georges de Latour Rutherford, Napa is crafted utilizing classic, Premier Grand Cru Bordeaux-style techniques from grapes grown and harvested from the legendary superior Rutherford bench, Napa vineyards. Its beautiful deep ruby color, represents a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. If wines were actors, perhaps it might be described best as having the charm, style, finesse and elegance of John F. Kennedy. Gorgeous deep dark Ruby with aromas of sweet berry fruit and hints floral, herb and complex spice, each waft brings a new scent. On the palate cherry and sweet blackberry and with layers of complex flavors of cacao, vanilla spice, gentle earthy notes and splendid restrained oak tones. Described as “absolutely exceptional” it will drink well upon release and will continue to age gracefully over many years. This wine is now available for release and will ship on/after October 1, 2019 thus, first come first served basis. Only 300 bottles were produced. Retail: $185. All orders of 6+ bottles are at no shipping costs to you. Shipping to all our licensed states is included. We may make many compromises in life, but never with our wines. Some wines are worth remembering, a rare few are unforgettable.
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2017 très Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford
Our 2017 très Cabernet Sauvignon, Georges de Latour, Rutherford, Napa is crafted utilizing classic, Premier Grand Cru Bordeaux-style techniques from grapes grown and harvested from the legendary Rutherford bench, Napa vineyards. This wine speaks for itself with beautiful deep ruby color, representing a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot and leaves an unforgettable impression. If wines were actors, perhaps it might be described best as having the charm, style, finesse and elegance of John F. Kennedy. Gorgeous deep dark Ruby with aromas of sweet berry fruit and hints floral, herb and complex spice, each waft brings a new scent. On the palate cherry and sweet blackberry and with layers of complex flavors of cacao, vanilla spice, gentle earthy notes and splendid restrained oak tones. Described as “absolutely exceptional” it will drink well upon release and will continue to age gracefully over many years. This wine is scheduled for release on October 1, 2020 thus, unavailable at present. Only 600 bottles were produced. Shipping to all our licensed states is included. All orders of 6+ bottles are at no shipping costs to you. Retail: $185. We may make many compromises in life, but never with our wines. Some wines are worth remembering, a rare few are unforgettable.
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2015 très Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak
Our 2015 Atlas Peak très Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted utilizing classic, Premier Grand Cru Bordeaux-style techniques from grapes grown and harvested from our high elevation Atlas Peak Mountain vineyards. Its beautiful hue of deep ruby, represents a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc. This suave, silk smooth wine possesses hints of cherries, blackberries, cream-tinged cassis and given the elegant nature of this wine, with a hint of spice, a lovely mouth-feel and wonderful length on the finish. As with the nose, the palate feels polished, with lovely tannins, thus drinking very nicely now, but with patience of 4-10 years of “opening” will achieve incredible brilliance. We believe superior wines come from ultra superior grapes. We are truly blessed with the unique terroir and ideal climate of our high elevation Atlas Peak Mountain vineyard that supports this classic, old world-style estate grown, limited production Bordeaux-style wine. CWSA’s “Wine of the YEAR 2018” recipient and DOUBLE Gold Medal recipient. Retail: $195. All orders of 6+ bottles are at no shipping costs to you. Shipping to all our licensed states is included.
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Tasting the 2015 très Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak
Sill’s 2015 Atlas Peak très Cabernet Sauvignon is a hand-crafted Bordeaux-style blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, grapes harvested from their high elevation Atlas Peak Mountain vineyards. Gorgeous deep dark Ruby with aromas of sweet berry fruit and hints floral, herb and complex spice, each waft brings a new scent.
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2016 très Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast
The style of our 2016 très Chardonnay blends elegance, purity of fruit, harmony and finesse. We’re a small, boutique Napa vintner producing a limited number of barrels of exceptional Sonoma Coast grown Chardonnay. We have been receiving rave reviews from Grand Cru Montrachet-style burgundy wine lovers for our 2016 très Chardonnay, noting comments such as “To begin, this was one of the most elegant Chardonnays I have tasted, and I had to look at the label to see if it really came from CA. In the future, I will conduct a blind tasting, with a few wine friends, putting the Sill against a $135 Puligny-Montrachet. I am predicting Sill will be hands-down winner at half the price." Bill Alvarez, noted Wine Critic. “Very well balanced, layered with elegance and persistent length that ends with a graceful minerality. Truly outstanding, will continue to improve over the next decade if you are disciplined enough to cellar a few bottles, not me, this is gorgeous now!" "a discernibly distinctive Chardonnay that is unmatched by mass-produced alternatives". When grown in the cool, clayish volcanic chalk soils of Sonoma County’s Petaluma Gap AVA, our très Chardonnay is transformed into one of the world's most celebrated and distinctive white wines. The wine is aged on its lees with bâtonnage stirring in new French oak barrels with a final stay in steel vats to tighten and refine this exceptional wine. The result provides a crisp citrus meyer lemon character, floral lift with seductive ripe pear aromas, brioche and incisive minerality. Striving for finesse rather than overflowing power, our très Chardonnay exudes a silky, light body softness, delicate texture and finishes with a longing desire for a second glass. CWSA Gold Medal recipient. Retail: $65. All orders of 6+ bottles are at no shipping costs to you. Shipping to all our licensed states is included.
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2017 très Rosé de Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast
Finally! The wine industry’s first: Burgundian and Bordeaux styled Rosé! Our 2017 très Chardonnay de Rose blends the very best of both wine worlds with the elegance, purity of fruit, harmony of an exceptional Burgundian Chardonnay along with the richness, complexity and depth of a Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon. Our resulting très Chardonnay de Rosé is an absolute first in the wine industry: exceptional Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. For years I’ve studied producing a superior California Rosé born of my Provence and Bandol memories. A Rosé that’s rich, elegant, ultra quality and an extraordinarily different Rosé from those available here in the United States. Essentially, introducing an ultra premium Rosé for serious Rosé lovers while making a real difference in the industry.
What distinguishes our très Chardonnay de Rosé from all others is the grape varietals used along with the French white oak barrel aging. I contend that truly exceptional wines come from ultra superior grapes, such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. We barrel age a limited production of 98% Sonoma Coast Chardonnay blessed with 2% Rutherford bench Napa Cabernet Sauvignon wines, producing only these 300 bottles. A truly fresh marriage of the finest, most prestigious grapes producing this elegantly brilliant and floral Rosé. We are truly blessed with the unique terroir of our très Chardonnay de Rosé which supports this classic Provençal-style wine. CWSA Gold Medal recipient, and The Rose Competition Gold Medal recipient. Retail: $65. All orders of 6+ bottles are at no shipping costs to you. Shipping to all our licensed states is included.
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Tasting the 2017 très Rosé de Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast
First of all, I have tasted hundreds of Rosé wines. In fact, I went to a tasting a few months back and tasted over 30, can’t say there was 1 that I liked! Well I guess you can say I broke my tasting streak, this is a Rosé to go out of you way to acquire a bottle, very elegant! Superb!
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2017 très Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast
The style of our 2016 très Chardonnay blends elegance, purity of fruit, harmony and finesse. We’re a small, boutique Napa vintner producing a limited number of barrels of exceptional Sonoma Coast grown Chardonnay. We have been receiving rave reviews from Grand Cru Montrachet-style burgundy wine lovers for our 2016 très Chardonnay, noting comments such as “Very well balanced, layered with elegance and persistent length that ends with a graceful minerality. Truly outstanding, will continue to improve over the next decade if you are disciplined enough to cellar a few bottles, not me, this is gorgeous now!" Bill Alvarez, noted Wine Critic. "A discernibly distinctive Chardonnay that is unmatched by mass-produced alternatives." When grown in the cool, clayish volcanic chalk soils of Sonoma County’s Petaluma Gap AVA, our très Chardonnay is transformed into one of the world's most celebrated and distinctive white wines. The wine is aged on its lees with bâtonnage stirring in new French oak barrels with a final stay in steel vats to tighten and refine this exceptional wine. The result provides a crisp citrus meyer lemon character, floral lift with seductive ripe pear aromas, brioche and incisive minerality. Striving for finesse rather than overflowing power, our très Chardonnay exudes a silky, light body softness, delicate texture and finishes with a longing desire for a second glass. CWSA Gold Medal recipient. Retail: $65. Only 600 bottles were produced. All orders of 6+ bottles are at no shipping costs to you. Shipping to all our licensed states is included.
BUY NOW Join Our Wine Club
Tasting the 2017 très Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast
To begin, this was one of the most elegant Chardonnays I have tasted, and I had to look at the label to see if it really came from CA. In the future, I will conduct a blind tasting, with a few wine friends, putting the Sill against a $135 Puligny-Montrachet. I am predicting Sill will be hands-down winner at half the price…Stay tuned!