he vineyards of the historic Lewelling estate were established in 1864 near the western foothills in St. Helena by pioneer winegrower and horticulturist John Lewelling. Janice Lewelling Wight, John Lewelling's great-granddaughter, and her husband Russ built a home on the family property in 1950 and quickly became involved in operating and replanting the vineyard. Today Russ, together with his three sons, Alan, Doug and Dave, farm a 28-acre vineyard on a portion of the original estate, one of the oldest continuously-owned family vineyards in the Napa Valley.
During the 1870's and 1880's the vineyards of the St. Helena area established a reputation for producing some of the finest wines in the United States, a reputation that is now acknowledged world-wide and is attributed to the unique combination of soils and climate found here. Over the years Lewelling Vineyards has consistently harvested exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that have been sold to such fine Napa Valley wineries as Caymus, Viader, and Beaulieu. In 1992 the Wight Family began production of their own vineyard-designated wine.
Each member of the family plays a role in crafting Lewelling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. Russ, now officially retired, offers the perspective and insight of his years of grapegrowing.
Dave studied philosophy at Harvard before returning to the Napa Valley to work in the cellar at Inglenook. He has a degree from U.C. Davis in viticulture and enology and oversees the winemaking for Lewelling Vineyards. Doug graduated from Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo and managed vineyards for Martini Winery prior to starting his own business in 1977. Today he operates the family vineyard as well as managing 500 additional acres of Napa Valley vineyard. Alan, an engineer for Agilent Technologies, is a key member of the winery tasting panel and decision-making team.
The Wight family is committed to making wines that showcase the exceptional fruit from this unique vineyard site. Crop size, irrigation, trellising and vine nutrition are managed for optimum grape quality. The wines are carefully hand-crafted using traditional winemaking methods and aged in 90% new French oak barrels from a selection of coopers. Gentle winemaking and minimal handling are emphasized to preserve the natural richness of the grapes. A program of experimentation with root stocks, clones, trellising and winemaking techniques seeks to enhance the texture, complexity and elegant natural balance of the wines.
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