Stony Hill Vineyard

When Fred and Eleanor McCrea fell in love with and bought a 160-acre goat ranch on the northeast slope of Spring Mountain in 1943, little did they envision a “Stony Hill Vineyard…visitors by appointment only” sign at the bend in the road. Yet sixty years later, the sign hangs there as a testament to their passionate dedication to producing the quality wines that Stony Hill still proudly offers. The property sits on the western slope of the Napa Valley between Richie Creek to the north and Lyman Creek to the south. Moderating climatic influences such as northeast-facing slopes and an elevation between 400 and 800 feet above the valley floor make this mild microclimate an ideal location for growing premium Chardonnay grapes. Vineyard planting began in 1947, when the McCreas were able to buy a used tractor and hire people to work full time in the vineyard. They wanted to plant Chardonnay exclusively, because they loved the white wine of Burgundy and believed that Stony Hill offered the potential for growing fine quality white Burgundy grapes. At least they wanted to experiment. But the University of California viticulturists encouraged them to diversify because only 200 acres of Chardonnay grapes were planted in California at that time, it was a shy-bearing grape, disease-prone, and not well-known to the wine-drinking public. They suggested planting Pinot Blanc and White Riesling. But Eleanor and Fred followed their intuition and planted mostly Chardonnay vines. The makeup of the vineyards today reflects their determination, with twenty-five acres of Chardonnay, ten acres of White Riesling, three acres of Gewurztraminer, and one acre of Semillon. In 1952 Fred and Eleanor completed a small winery on the property, the second new winery built in the Napa Valley after Prohibition, and they produced their first commercial vintage of Chardonnay that same year. They began marketing their wine through a personal letter to their Bay Area friends. Fifty-one years later this annual mailer is still our primary mode of marketing. To this day we sell our wines only to individuals who have asked to have their names put on our mailing list, and to a few select restaurants in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and several other metropolitan areas across the United States.

Napa, United States

3331 St. Helena Highway, North,

(707) 963-2636