Raymond Vineyards, and Boisset Collection, have purchased the 55-acre Bartolucci Vineyard off of Stice Lane in St. Helena. The vineyard is adjacent to Raymond’s existing Stice Vineyard, and has 47 acres planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Following the philosophy of all of Boisset’s estate vineyards, the Bartolucci vineyard will be converted to certified Napa Green, certified organic and certified Biodynamic® farming. The addition of another estate vineyard in St. Helena, in the heart of the upper Napa Valley near the Raymond winery, shows Boisset’s ongoing, long-term commitment to the region. The addition of the Bartolucci-Stice Vineyard follows the 2015 purchase of the Ticen Ranch on Highway 29, with 25 acres of Rutherford vineyards. Raymond Vineyards now comprises 380 acres in Napa Valley.
“We believe in Napa Valley, and we believe in the importance of a long-term vision of making fine wines with a deep commitment and respect to the most prestigious and high-quality terroir,” said Raymond Proprietor Jean-Charles Boisset. “The addition of this phenomenal site in St. Helena from a great Napa family strengthens Raymond and ensures continuity and respect of the Bartolucci’s family legacy.”
The Bartoluccis are a multi-generational Napa Valley farming family that sought another owner to steward their vineyards for generations to come. They found in Boisset a like-minded commitment to family farming that will respect and enhance the quality of the site. The Bartolucci family has been farming in Napa Valley for four generations, starting in the 1920s, while Raymond celebrates a five generation family legacy of winemaking dating to the earliest foundations of the Napa Valley. The Bartolucci-Stice vineyard was originally planted in 1976, just two years after the first harvest of Raymond Vineyards in 1974.
With this year’s release of its 2014 Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Raymond is celebrating 40 years of winemaking in Napa Valley since its first vintage in 1974. “We believe that Raymond, today, is characterizing a new style of Napa Valley wine with elegance, finesse, charisma, eloquence and power,” said Boisset.
Since purchasing Raymond in 2009, Boisset has infused the winery with energy, innovation, passion and dynamism while respecting and celebrating its family heritage, and deepening the winery’s commitment to Napa Valley vineyards and farming. Raymond Winemaker Stephanie Putnam, along with Consulting Winemaker Philippe Melka, makes Cabernet Sauvignon from 13 of Napa’s 16 sub-AVAs in order to highlight and express the incredible diversity of the valley and the winery’s dedication to terroir. Under Boisset’s vision, Raymond has been named Sunset magazine’s “Best Tasting Room – Experience Beyond Tasting” in 2011; the 2012 American Winery of the Year and the 2016 Wine and Culture Wine Star by Wine Enthusiast ; the “Best Unique Tasting Experience” by CellarPass; "Best of the Bay – Best Wine Tasting Room, Napa" by the North Bay Bohemian; and named to Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2013 for its Generations Cabernet Sauvignon.
ABOUT RAYMOND VINEYARDS
Raymond Vineyards, founded in 1970, comprises a 380-acre estate in Rutherford, St. Helena and Jameson Canyon. Five generations of the Raymond family created a Napa icon, with an enduring reputation for elegant wines with a beautiful balance of finesse, power and complexity. Today, guided by the vision of Proprietor Jean-Charles Boisset, Raymond Vineyards is one of the wine world’s most dynamic winery destinations. Highly-ranked wines are crafted by Winemaker Stephanie Putnam and Consulting Winemaker Phillipe Melka from Raymond’s certified organic and Biodynamic® estate vineyards and select long-term vineyard partners. The winery’s guest experiences unite education, passion and entertainment, offering diverse opportunities to explore wine. The solar-powered winery is certified by CCOF, Demeter Biodynamic, Napa Green, Fish Friendly Farming and California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance.
ABOUT BOISSET COLLECTION
Boisset is a family-owned collection of historic and unique wineries bound together by a common cause: authentic, terroir-driven wines in harmony with their history, their future and the land and people essential to their existence. With more than twenty-five historical and prestigious wineries in the world’s preeminent terroirs, including the Côte d’Or, Beaujolais, Rhône Valley, California’s Russian River Valley and the Napa Valley, each house retains its unique history, identity, and style, and all are united in the pursuit of fine wines expressive of their terroir.
WWW.RAYMONDVINEYARDS.COM
WWW.BOISSETCOLLECTION.COM
MIKE REYNOLDS - PRESIDENT, WALT WINES
Owned by Vintners Kathryn Walt Hall and Craig Hall, WALT has a passion for producing wines of a place – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Pacific Coast’s most distinctive vineyard sites. Spanning over 1,000 miles, the WALT portfolio of vineyards includes the Sonoma Coast, Anderson Valley, Los Carneros, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Lucia Highlands, and Willamette Valley appellations.
Our winemaking philosophy deliberately approaches the vineyard as the priority in making these varieties. As stewards of the grapes, our winemakers work hard to firmly but delicately extract flavors and characteristics so that our wines naturally and honestly express the character of the sites where they are grown. Since the inaugural 2010 vintage, WALT is renowned for its consistency and believes strongly in the timeless qualities of balance and bold, flavorful wines. WALT is a part of the HALL Wines family in Napa Valley, one of the leading luxury wine brands in the world.
WINES
The current WALT portfolio of wines includes 12 Pinot Noirs, 3 Chardonnays, and 1 Rosé of Pinot Noir sourced from premier vineyards along the Pacific Coast representing 1,000 miles of Pinot. We seek locations in cool climates with low-vigor, hillside vineyards that produce bold, elegant, opulent, supple and silky wines. Our wines come from both Estate Vineyards (approx. 140 acres) and 17 unique vineyard partners. Each partner possesses an optimal site, infrastructure and a true passion for quality. We have enormous respect for our extended family of winegrowers.
WWW.WALTWINES.COM