4022 Spring Mountain Road, St. Helena, California 94574
phone 707/963-2283; fax 963-2291
FOUNDED: 1971, by Stuart Smith
MANAGEMENT: Stuart Smith, Managing
Partner, Enologist; Charles F. Smith III, Winemaker
VINEYARDS: All wines made entirely
from the winery's own estate vineyards on steep mountainsides
surrounding the winery on top of Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley
PRODUCTION: Approximate 1,000
cases each of Riesling, Chardonnay,
and Cabernet Sauvignon
HOSPITALITY: Tours & tastings
by appointment, always conducted by one of the Smith brothers;
annual open house for mailing list customers
THE ESTATE: 200 acre ranch,
partly planted as vineyard over a century ago; California
black bears and other wildlife once thrived here;
enormous 120-year-old olive trees frame a path and
view over the floor of the Napa
Valley and Bothe Napa Valley State Park.
THE NAME: Stuart
Smith explains: "It sounds better than Smith-Douglas
Fir or Smith-Poison Oak (!), the predominant trees
and shrubs on the ranch. The personality of the madrone
figured into it as well: the madrone tree never stands
out alone in the forest; it's always clustered for
shade and community. Also called madrona, Pacific
madrona, laurelwood or Oregon laurel, the madrone
is an evergreen which can be low and shrubby, up to
40 feet tall, or tall and stately, up to 100 feet
tall. The madrone is easily recognized by its red-brown
trunk and branches; its leaves are a shiny deep green;
in spring the tree bears lily-of-the-valley-like flower
clusters; in fall orange-red berries appear on the
trees.
