Schramsberg Vineyards: A Sparkling History and an Even Brighter Future
Hugh Davies' parents had a vision. His father, Jack Davies was a suave business executive with an MBA from Harvard. His mother, Jamie, tried her hand at business and was a success in her own right. As co-owner of the Hansen-Peterman Gallery in Berkeley, California, she was a self-made entrepreneur during a time when most women resigned themselves to the modest role of homemaker.

The couple had one thing in common: a mutual love of wine. "My parents set out make a style of wine that no one else was making at the time," said Hugh Davies, now CEO and winemaker at Schramsburg Vineyards. Visits to France cemented their love of Champagne, and they decided to focus entirely on sparkling wine production. "Together they set out to find a niche that was unoccupied and took a leap of faith that they could do it on their own."

As luck have it, or maybe even fate, they were shown the historic Schram Estate on Diamond Mountain in 1965. At the time, it was a rundown property with a decrepit 1860s Victorian home that was badly in need of restoration. The property's saving graces—over 40 acres of vineyard and a series of underground caves painstakingly dug by Chinese workers at the turn of the century.

The Davies had their work cut out for them. There was only one person in Napa in the mid-60s with experience in the Méthode Traditionnelle process, and he'd done just one season in Champagne. André Tchelistcheff, whose influence runs through the veins of American wineries stretching from California to Washington, served as consulting winemaker. Initially, the base wine was made at Krug, and the Davies sought guidance from UC Davis. "They jumped in with both feet and somehow through all of the challenges, managed to grow the business," said Hugh.

By 1967, Schramsburg released its first Blanc de Noir, the first of its kind in the United States. And in 1972, President Nixon served the Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs to China's Premier Zhou Enlai, following a week of intensive meetings to discuss peace during the Vietnamese conflict. "My parents delivered 13 cases of the Blanc de Blancs to the Travis airport base weeks before they found out what it was being used for. It was top secret," said Hugh.

While Schramsberg wines have graced official State functions ever since, over the years the winery has evolved. In effect, it has matured along with the rest of the Napa Valley wine industry. Diamond Mountain is a warmer site, more suited to the production of Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1994, the family made the decision to replant the entire estate.

"Diamond Mountain comprises only 1% of Napa's Vineyards, but 90% of it is planted in Cab. We've moved our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to cooler-climate North Coast vineyard sites in Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin counties. The original estate was then replanted with Cabernet and a few others, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, which has done very well."

What does this mean with respect to the end product? Schramsberg sparkling wines have naturally high levels of acidity that give them incredible longevity; many have the potential to age for 20 to 30 years. It also lends itself to a fresh, bright style that will pair marvellously with a variety of rich foods like oysters, caviar, or a charming triple-crème, like Brillat-Savarin.

Perhaps what is less known is that the winery produces a handful of still wines, including a Cabernet Sauvignon from their Diamond Mountain estate and a series of single vineyard Pinot Noirs under the J. Davies label, which are equally exceptional and are well-worth exploring.

Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Brut

Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Brut