"Science is a language to describe the magic that's happening in the natural world."
Our Winemaker, Reid Griggs, found his calling to wine through a fascination with the natural world. He holds a Masters in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis, where he studied microbial community dynamics in winegrowing.
In a recent interview we did with him, he showed us that despite his firm grounding in the sciences, he hasn't lost a sense of wonder for the mysteries of nature that eventually come together in a glass of wine.
Spring Mountain is officially in bloom. We are tremendously grateful to spend serene, sun-dappled spring days here at The Residence, surrounded by wilderness.
We are now accepting reservations for the season and look forward to hosting you in this historic, charismatic place.
To book, visit our website or email: [email protected].
Luminary Napa Valley, a private lifestyle club, was founded by six historic wineries to celebrate the beauty and bounty of our home and the “luminaries” that came before us.
Our annual Luminary Harvest Weekend brings this idea to life with like-minded wine connoisseurs who gather for three days of feasting, tasting, and learning, culminating in our legendary La Paulée celebration.
A limited number of tickets are available. For more information, email [email protected] or see the link in our bio.
We extend a big thanks to our friends at Lexus (@lexususa ) for helping us bring this celebration to life. #lexuspartner #lexususa #lexusculinary #luminarynapavalley
We couldn't be more delighted and grateful to Jonathan Cristaldi @jcristaldi of Decanter @decanter for including our 2023 Estate Chardonnay in his article, "My 12 Best Napa Chardonnays of All Time."
Cristaldi rated Winemaker Reid Griggs’ 2023 Estate Chardonnay the wine 97 points, noting its "Classic Stony Hill restraint underpinned by a firm, saline acid structure that signals long ageing potential."
It's simply an honor to be included in this list.
Step beyond the tasting room and into a side of Napa rarely seen.
Journey off-road through @stonyhillvineyard , climbing above the valley for a closer look at the vines and sweeping views. The experience continues at the estate’s mid-century home, where an intimate tasting of library wines and seasonal bites offers a glimpse into its legacy.
#AlwaysAuberge
Our 2022 Côte Rouge Cabernet Sauvignon was one of the highest-rated Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons featured in Decanter last year. We owe a huge thanks to Jonathan Cristaldi for his note:
"Medium-bodied yet immensely stylish and polished, it offers impressive depth, with layered red fruit and juicy acidity framed by smoked paprika and a finish that seems to last forever. Deep power, fantastic concentration and a perfect balance of acidity and soaring tannins."
April 8, 11am:
Our Stony Hill Riesling vines, planted in 1948, have been freshly suckered. With vines of this age, the number of shoots and clusters is fewer, making it all the more important to work these vines early, and let them use their energy where it counts!
It's humbling to work with the oldest Riesling vines in the US. 78 years of history and stories reside in each vine’s trunk and arms.
The Residence at Stony Hill has a style that weaves together so effortlessly, it's hard to believe the amount of time and consideration that went into its remodel in 2023.
This was once the the family home of Eleanor and Fred McCrea. Designer Hayley Johnson of Rakis Design in San Francisco carefully combined their personal effects with authentic mid-century vintage pieces from around the world. The process took about three years.
The McCreas' presence is still palpable here. When you visit, you'll have your own intimate nook in the Residence to taste in, and take home lasting memories of your own.
Our founders' memory and legacy is ever-present at Stony Hill.
A 1920s bootlegger's den, at the end of a 2-mile road into the forest.
A hillside once studded with goats, hidden deep in the woods of the Mayacamas Range.
A young couple, burning up their wartime gas rations to drive up from San Francisco and camp, with a persistent daydream that would eventually become a reality.
Thank you, Alder Yarrow, @vinography for your kind words about our Côtes Series Cabernet Sauvignons. We can't wait to share these wines in the coming months.
"When you get single-parcel wines from within a large estate, it’s really nice to see a distinct character difference between the wines, and that is definitely the case here with the Côte Rouge and the Côtes des Píerres bottlings. The former has a brighter edge to it, while the latter has a darker, earthier quality. Both are exceptionally refined and elegant, and both are built for long-haul aging, despite being drinkable now. I highly recommend them." - Alder Yarrow, Vinography
Ojai is a special place—the way the light settles into the valley, the stillness, the sense that time loosens its grip a little.
Just a couple weeks ago we gathered here among the world’s greatest wine estates and chefs. We shared a rare vertical from Stony Hill Vineyard and hosted a compelling discussion speaking to the heritage and importance of the site.
It was a joy to reconnect with old friends like Rajat Parr, and to spend time with culinary icons like Dario Cecchini, Nancy Silverton, Christopher Kostow, and Brandon Jew.
Special thanks to Baxter Holmes for guiding the conversation, and to Ojai Valley Inn and Food & Wine for bringing it all together.
"Fred's whole idea was to make the wine taste like the grapes as much as possible. We really were lucky that we just happened to find a piece of property that made Chardonnay so distinctive. One of the amazing things is, it's got to be the soil that does it, because all the different varieties of grapes are totally distinct from each other, but they all have this underlying Stony Hill quality about them." – Eleanor McCrea, 1990
