Grace Family Vineyards
Better known as the first cult winery in America, the Grace Family Vineyards started as a small operation headed by Dick Grace – a successful stockbroker and his wife, Ann – a happy mother of three. The unlikely pair, neither having viticulture training went with their intuition, settling in Napa Valley. The humbled family, as a hobby, decided to plant vine cuttings from the famous Bosché vineyard. Their first harvest in 1978 was picked by friends and family. Then taken to the Caymus Winery, where Charlie Wagner tasted the fruit and blurted, “You know, Dick, this is damned fine fruit!” Today, this estate is one of the most dignified premium Cabernet producers in California. Not to mention, the family is extremely generous. Part of their production is auctioned for charity – going mostly to foundations for children in Nepal, Mexico and India – therefore the remaining wine is awfully rare. The estate produces two highly exclusive Cabernet Sauvignons, both cultivated from the same Bosché clone. One is produced exclusively on the Grace Family Vineyards property, while the second wine, out of an informal partnership with Caymus, comes from the Blank Vineyards.