HISTORY
Smith-Madrone is a family-run estate-bottled winery
dedicated to producing fine wines wines exclusively
from its own vineyards. The winery was founded
in 1971 with the purchase of 200 acres high atop
Spring Mountain west of St. Helena in the northern
Napa Valley.
One of the least-known and most scenic appellations
of the Napa Valley, the Spring Mountain District
was recognized by the B.A.T.F. in May of 1993.
The winery enjoys dramatic views of the floor
of the Napa Valley and the Sierra Nevada Mountains
in the distance, as well as of its own steep dry-farmed
vineyards. Smith-Madrone is located at elevations
between 1,600 and 1,800 feet. The vines flourish
in vividly red and rocky volcanic soil known as
Aiken loam, which is well-drained and friable.
The property is bordered by Stony Hill Vineyard
to the east, Keenan Vineyard to the south, Bothe
State Park to the north, west and south; Barnett
Vineyard on the western border.
In exploring the property before purchasing it,
Stuart Smith discovered
old grape stakes interspersed with the tall trees,
evidence of a vineyard planted in the 1880s and
abandoned with the onset of Prohibition. Douglas
fir, oak, redwood and madrone trees were cleared,
and the vineyards planted. The name for the winery
has two sources: as a tribute to the Smiths who
pursued their dream and to the madrone trees which
distinguish the property.
As
the estate was developed, traces of its intriguing
history emerged. Chinese workers had cleared the
land in the mid-nineteenth century and left behind
meticulous rock piles, stone walls and underground
caves. The remains of a covered wagon sit on an
old road between Santa Rosa and the floor of the
Napa Valley: today this road is barely passable
and is used only for access by foot between Smith-Madrone
and Stony Hill Vineyard to the east.
Another striking historical and visual note is
the dramatic corridor of 22 olive trees which
descend the slope beneath the winery into the
vineyards. More than a hundred and twenty years
old, these trees were carefully preserved when
the vineyards were planted. Their huge proportions
(some stretch as tall as 35 feet) are a testament
to their struggle for precious mountain sunlight.
A walk around this ranch means panoramas of vineyard,
mountain and forest, thriving with wildlife and
the natural world, since the forest encloses all
of the vineyards. Deer, fox, rabbits, porcupines,
coyotes and the occasional bear and cougar are
visible. The largest recorded bear in the history
of the state of California was killed nearby in
1967. The bird population includes red-tailed
hawks, golden eagles, turkey vultures, piliated
woodpeckers and spotted owls. Three rare thorny
nutmeg trees sit on a knoll; the stump of an oak
tree was chosen by the woodpeckers as a whimsical
warehouse, loaded with acorns for winter sustenance.
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