Oakville AVA | Organic Overview

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Location 

• Sources grapes for Ghost Block brand wines solely from its certified organic estate vines in Oakville and Yountville, on the Napa Valley floor; overall the winery owns 557 acres of certified vines on seven sites—35% are in Oakville and 65% are in Yountville

• The winery and tasting room are located in Oakville at Napa Wine Co. (across from Oakville Grocery) originally built in 1877  

Best known for 

• Fine wine brand from Napa's oldest, organic wine grape growing family, making impressive Cabernet from historic valley floor sites

• Makes four wines from certified vines ($25-105, 92-94 pts.)

• The label was founded in 2006 by the descendants of the Pelissa family, known for their deep roots in Napa agriculture, dating back to 1903; 2019 marks the family's 115th harvest  

• The extended family's current estate originates from their 1938 post Prohibition purchase of 1,000 acres of land, including the original home of Napa settler George Yount (who planted the first grape vines in Napa in 1838)

• In 1993, Andy Hoxsey led his family's purchase of the historic 1877 Brun & Chaix's Nouveau Medoc winery in Oakville (the 9th bonded winery in California and the oldest one in operation); the family converted it into a custom crush facility that's now used by 40 wineries, including many of the early cult Cabs 

• The family has 557 acres spread across seven certified organic vineyards in Oakville and Yountville; they sell 90% of their grapes to local vintners, using the rest for their own three in-house labels, including Ghost Block, their top tier brand

• The family started making wine commercially in 1996 before launching their three current brands in 2006  

• Their other two labels are Elizabeth Rose, a value brand ($20-$28) and their highly rated Oakville Winery wines ($28-55); each has a dedicated winemaker

• The family also produced a special Maratona wine in 2012, a great vintage year, to commemorate their 100+ years of farming in Napa

• Hoxsey's grandfather, Andy Pelissa, a farmer (who grew cherries, prunes and corn back in the 60's), amassed the family's 1,000 acres of land; he was a Napa County Planning Commissioner for 14 years and led efforts to save Napa from development, supporting the landmark 1968 Agriculture Preserve Act which paved the way for Napa's success as a winegrowing region

• He bought (and named) the Pelissa Vineyard, a historic 60 acre vineyard in Oakville, formerly owned by Beaulieu Vineyards (nickname: BV) and known then as BV 7; it was the source for some of BV's best Cabernets, including its famous “Georges de Latour Reserve”

• Vines from that site today go into Ghost Block's Single Vineyard Cabernet from Oakville

• The family has also preserved  11 acres of Zinfandel on its 55 acre Pelissa Vineyard, named in memory of Andrew and Babe Pelissa and located next to Opus One; this is the source of its newly introduced Pelissa Vineyard Ghost Block Zinfandel ($38)

• Grapes from the Rock Cairn vineyard (signed and visible on Highway 29 across from Mustard's Grill, south of Oakville) go into a single bottling; the site is north of and adjacent to the Pioneer cemetery in Yountville

• In 1984, Andy Pelissa passed the baton to the family's fourth generation—Andy Hoxsey

• Hoxsey has been a leader in organic and sustainable practices for decades—he was among the first in Napa to certify his vineyards organic; he also served as president of the California Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance, launching the statewide sustainability movement in the wine industry, and teaching conventional farmers how to use less fertilizer and to reduce water use

• The Napa grower constructed a massive, state of the art compost making operation that is the envy of organic growers everywhere, converting vineyard trimmings into 2,000 tons of compost used to fertilize the fields each year

• Hoxsey served on the board of the California Association of Wine Grape Growers for 11+ years; in Napa, in 2009, the Napa Valley Grape Growers voted him Grower of the Year

• Today Hoxsey's daughters, Kendall Hoxsey-Onysko and Morgaen Hoxsey, both fifth generation members of the Pelissa family, manage operations and marketing; the rest of the family sits on the company's board of directors

• Kristi Koford, who worked with the legendary winemaker Zelma Long for a decade, has been the head winemaker since 1991; she makes the Ghost Block wines

• The winery and tasting room are across the street from the historic Oakville Grocery, which preserves another piece of Napa history

• Napa Wine Co. continues to be an incubator for new winery brands in Napa, and produces wines that appeal to broad spectrum of wine lovers' budgets and tastes, from $20 to $105

• Robert Parker gave the 2011 Single Vineyard ($105), a difficult vintage in the valley, 94 pts., writing, "stunning...oodles of blackcurrant fruit mixed with spring flowers, vanillin, graphite and coffee bean...silky textured, round, opulent, stylish wine"

Organic vineyard case production 

8,000 (out of 8,000 total)

Certified 

Estate vineyards, organic, 1995, CCOF

$25

Tasting( by appt.)

$30

Reserve tasting (by appt.)

CONTACT

Ghost Block | Oakville Winery | Elizabeth Rose

Napa Wine Co.

7830 St Helena Hwy # 40

Oakville, CA 94562

707.944.1710

Website     |     Email     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Instagram

Location 

• Sources grapes for Oakville Winery brand wines solely from its certified organic estate vines in Oakville, on the Napa Valley floor; overall the winery owns 557 acres of certified vines on seven sites—35% are in Oakville and 65% are in Yountville 

• The winery and tasting room are located in Oakville at Napa Wine Co. (across from Oakville Grocery) originally built in 1877  

Best known for 

• Affordable, all organic brand from the Pelissa family, Napa's largest organic wine grape growers

• Makes two affordably priced wines from certified vines ($28-55) with its best rated 92 pts. 

• The label was founded in 2006 by the descendants of the Pelissa family, known for their deep roots in Napa agriculture, dating back to 1903; 2019 marks the family's 115th harvest 

• The extended family's holdings originate from their 1938, post Prohibition purchase of 1,000 acres of land, including the original home of Napa settler George Yount (who planted the first grape vines in Napa in 1838)

• In 1993, Andy Hoxsey led his family's purchase of the historic 1877 Brun & Chaix's Nouveau Medoc winery in Oakville (the 9th bonded winery in California and the oldest one in operation); the family converted it into a custom crush facility that's now used by 40 wineries, including many of the early cult Cabs 

• The family has 557 acres spread across seven certified organic vineyards in Oakville and Yountville; they sell 90% of their grapes to local vintners, using the rest for their own three in-house labels, including Oakville Winery

• The family started making wine commercially in 1996 before launching their three current brands in 2006  

• Their other two labels are Elizabeth Rose, a value brand ($20-$28) and their highly rated Ghost Block wines ($25-105); each has a dedicated winemaker

• The family also produced a special Maratona wine in 2012, a great vintage year, to commemorate their 100+ years of farming in Napa

• Hoxsey's grandfather, Andy Pelissa, a farmer (who grew cherries, prunes and corn back in the 60's), amassed the family's 1,000 acres of land; he was a Napa County Planning Commissioner for 14 years and led efforts to save Napa from development, supporting the landmark 1968 Agriculture Preserve Act which paved the way for Napa's success as a winegrowing region

• Among Pelissa's acquisitions was the Pelissa Vineyard, a historic 60 acre vineyard in Oakville, formerly owned by Beaulieu Vineyards (nickname: BV) and known then as BV 7; it was the source for some of BV's best Cabernets, including its famous “Georges de Latour Reserve”)

• Some of the original BV 7 vines continue to produce grapes here  

• In 1984 Andy Pelissa passed the baton to the family's fourth generation—Andy Hoxsey

• Hoxsey has been a leader in organic and sustainable practices for decades—he was among the first in Napa to certify his vineyards organic; he also served as president of the California Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance, launching the statewide sustainability movement in the wine industry, and teaching conventional farmers how to use less fertilizer and to reduce water use

• The Napa grower constructed a massive, state of the art compost making operation that is the envy of organic growers everywhere, converting vineyard trimmings into 2,000 tons of compost used to fertilize the fields each year

• Hoxsey served on the board of the California Association of Wine Grape Growers for 11+ years; in Napa, in 2009, the Napa Valley Grape Growers voted him Grower of the Year

• Today Hoxsey's daughters, Kendall Hoxsey-Onysko and Morgaen Hoxsey, both fifth generation members of the Pelissa family, manage operations and marketing; the rest of the family sits on the company's board of directors

• Kristi Koford, who worked with the legendary winemaker Zelma Long for a decade, has been the head winemaker since 1991; the Oakville Winery's current releases were made by Lynn Watanabe

• The winery and tasting room are across the street from the historic Oakville Grocery, which preserves another piece of Napa history

• Napa Wine Co. continues to be an incubator for new winery brands in Napa, and produces wines that appeal to broad spectrum of wine lovers' budgets and tastes, from $20 to $105

• Oakville Winery released its first Malbec, from 2017, in 2020

• The $45 Oakville Winery Cab won a 92 pt. rating from Wine Spectator not long ago, with James Laube describing it as, "Charming, offering an elegant array of supple-textured licorice, sage and dusty red and dark berry notes. Most impressive on the long, tapered finish..." 

Organic vineyard case production 

2,300 (out of 2,300 total)  

Certified 

Estate vineyards, organic, 1995, CCOF

$25

Tasting( by appt.)

$30

Reserve tasting (by appt.)

CONTACT

Oakville Winery | Ghost Block | Elizabeth Rose

Napa Wine Co,

7830 St Helena Hwy #40

Oakville, CA 94562

707.944.1710

Website     |     Email     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Instagram

Location 

• Sources grapes for Elizabeth Rose brand wines solely from its certified organic estate vines in Oakville and Yountville, on the Napa Valley floor; overall the winery owns 557 acres of certified vines on seven sites—35% are in Oakville and 65% are in Yountville

• The winery and tasting room are located in Oakville at Napa Wine Co. (across from Oakville Grocery) originally built in 1877  

Best known for 

• Value brand from the Pelissa family, Napa's largest organic wine grape growers

• Makes seven affordably priced wines from certified vines ($20-28) including the rarely grown Flora variety

. 

• The label was founded in 2006 by the descendants of the Pelissa family, known for their deep roots in Napa agriculture, dating back to 1903; 2019 marks the family's 115th harvest 

• The extended family's holdings originate from their 1938, post Prohibition purchase of 1,000 acres of land, including the original home of Napa settler George Yount (who planted the first grape vines in Napa in 1838)

• In 1993, Andy Hoxsey led his family's purchase of the historic 1877 Brun & Chaix winery in Oakville (the 9th bonded winery in California and the oldest one in operation); the family converted it into a custom crush facility that's now used by 40 wineries, including many of the early cult Cabs 

• The family has 557 acres spread across seven certified organic vineyards in Oakville and Yountville; they sell 90% of their grapes to local vintners, using the rest for their own three in-house labels, including Oakville Winery

• The family started making wine commercially in 1996 before launching their three current brands in 2006  

• Their other two labels are its highly rated Oakville Winery wines ($28-55) and the top rated Ghost Block wines ($25-105); each has a dedicated winemaker

• The family also produced a special Maratona wine in 2012, a great vintage year, to commemorate their 100+ years of farming in Napa

• Hoxsey's grandfather, Andy Pelissa, a farmer (who grew cherries, prunes and corn back in the 60's), amassed the family's 1,000 acres of land; he was a Napa County Planning Commissioner for 14 years and led efforts to save Napa from development, supporting the landmark 1968 Agriculture Preserve Act which paved the way for Napa's success as a winegrowing region

• In 1984 Andy Pelissa passed the baton to the family's fourth generation—Andy Hoxsey

• Hoxsey has been a leader in organic and sustainable practices for decades—he was among the first in Napa to certify his vineyards organic; he also served as president of the California Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance, launching the statewide sustainability movement in the wine industry, and teaching conventional farmers how to use less fertilizer and to reduce water use

• The Napa grower constructed a massive, state of the art compost making operation that is the envy of organic growers everywhere, converting vineyard trimmings into 2,000 tons of compost used to fertilize the fields each year

• Hoxsey served on the board of the California Association of Wine Grape Growers for 11+ years; in Napa, in 2009, the Napa Valley Grape Growers voted him Grower of the Year

• Today Hoxsey's daughters, Kendall Hoxsey-Onysko and Morgaen Hoxsey, both fifth generation members of the Pelissa family, manage operations and marketing; the rest of the family sits on the company's board of directors

• Kristi Koford, who worked with the legendary winemaker Zelma Long for a decade, has been the head winemaker since 1991; Jeff Onysko made the Elizabeth Rose current releases 

• The Elizabeth Rose Pinot Noir comes from the historic Block House vineyard, where pioneer George Yount first settled

• The unique Flora is a white wine variety bred by Harold Olmo, a professor from U.C. Davis, by crossing Semillon with Gewurztraminer; Elizabeth Rose has the only planting of it ($20, 95 cases)

Organic vineyard case production 

7,500 (out of 7,500 total)

Certified 

Estate vineyards, organic, 1995, CCOF

$25

Tasting( by appt.)

$30

Reserve tasting (by appt.)

CONTACT

Elizabeth Rose | Ghost Block | Oakville Winery

Napa Wine Co.

7830 St Helena Hwy # 40

Oakville, CA 94562

707.944.1710

Website     |     Email     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Instagram