Spottswoode Winery

Located to the west edge of the Napa Valley in St. Helena, Spottswoode Winery is a family-owned grape-growing and winemaking estate. There are two historic buildings on site: the Victorian house in which the owner’s family has lived in since 1972 (and is on the wine label at the winery) and a pre-Prohibition stone cellar where they store their barrels. Mary Novak and her family bought the estate in 1972 and has carefully managed and brought the vineyard back into full-working production. The estate stretches back into the Mayacamas mountains, and was one of the first to be organically farmed in Napa Valley. They have maintained that tradition ever since. Spottswoode Winery is all hand-tended and farmed, from the vineyard to the olive trees to their own garden. They focus on producing two wines: Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc.

Spottswoode Winery is a 46-acre estate that was originally established in 1882 by George Schonewald. Spottswoode was christened by Mrs. Albert Spotts, who owned the property from 1910 until its purchase in 1972 by Mary Weber Novak and her late husband, Dr. Jack Novak. The first Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon was produced in 1982, exactly one hundred years after the estate’s founding. Spottswoode has also pioneered the restoration of the waters and wildlife diversity of Spring Creek, a local watershed that defines the southern boundary of the estate. This project underscores their commitment to the estate property and the health of the environment.