In the shadow of Mount St. Helena lies Monitor Ledge Vineyard, at the southwest corner of the intersection between Larkmead Lane and the Silverado Trail. The vineyard has, for over a century, been part of Napa Valley's family grape-growing history.

In the late 1800s, François Saviez emigrated here from France, where his family had a history of farming vineyards in the Alsace-Lorraine region. When he moved to the Napa Valley in 1893, François became the vineyard foreman on Larkmead ranch, home to famed San Francisco socialite Lillie Hitchcock Coit. In December 1900, François purchased 250 acres just south of Three Palms, stretching from the Napa River to the stagecoach route that ran along the eastern hillsides of the Napa Valley. The property had a winery and 20 to 30 acres of vineyards, with the remainder of the land planted to prunes and peaches. Grapes became the Saviez family's primary crop in the 1950s, when son, Cyril, took over. The Saviez family has sold grapes to many prominent wineries. Duckhorn Vineyards has utilized fruit from the Saviez family vineyard in our wine blends since 1985.

The soil structure and microclimate of the vineyard are ideal. Located on the alluvial fan of Selby Creek, the site is composed of cobblestones and a gravelly, sandy loam. Water drains rapidly in the lean soil, causing the vines to struggle to grow, thereby bringing about the fruit intensity and structure that make the wines from this area so unique. The land is located in one of the warmer growing regions of the valley. The vines have excellent exposure to the sun during the growing season, enabling the fruit to consistently ripen to maturity. The vineyard is often the first we harvest and brings us an indication of the quality of the vintage to come.

The vineyard is planted to 17 acres of Merlot, 8 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 acres of Petit Verdot and 2 acres of Sauvignon Blanc. The remaining 8 acres will be planted this spring to Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a small amount of Sauvignon Blanc.

In 1999, Duckhorn Vineyards arranged for sole ownership of the vineyard by making the Saviez family shareholders in our company. We then christened the property with the name Monitor Ledge Vineyard.