Cathiard Family Estate

In January 2020, the Cathiards purchased the homestead and historic winery that was at one time the residence of Napa Valley winemaking forefather Louis M. Martini from the Komes family, owners of Flora Springs. The deal included around 200 acres of land, 58 of which was already planted to vine, and what had come to be known as the Flora Springs Winery. The purchase did not include the Flora Springs name, which is still operating. That suited the Cathiards just fine, though. They want to establish their name in Napa Valley: Cathiard Family Estate and Cathiard Vineyard.

Located in the foothills of the Mayacamas Range in St. Helena, I took the opportunity to visit the vineyard and winery reconstruction in February this year with the general manager and winemaker Justine Labbe. The partly sloped vineyard extends up to an altitude of 650 feet (200 meters) and includes mature vines, including a couple of blocks of free-standing old-timers that are on St. George rootstock. The Cathiards had torn down the eyesore of an outdoor tank farm, replaced by a state-of-the-art refit to the historic stone winery, including small upright and inverted conical vats. Justine is working with the dedicated cooper at Smith Haut Lafitte to adjust the toasting levels of barrels made especially for aging the wines from the Cathiard Vineyard.

The first vintage, 2020, remains in barrel and is due to be bottled in August 2022.

Given the challenges of this vintage, it will be a minimal first release, including around 700 cases of the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, 900 cases of the next tier “Founding Fathers” label, and 1200 cases of the Cabernet Merlot blend. The Cathiards intend to develop a club membership and distribute the wines via the Place de Bordeaux. Having tasted some very impressive barrel samples of the 2020 vintage, I can confirm this is a property to watch!