Haynes Vineyard, Coombsville Chardonnay

The Haynes Vineyard was planted in 1967 by Pat and Duncan Haynes on a beautiful parcel of land that had been in their family since the 1800’s. These were early days for Napa Valley viticulture and the cool, breezy Coombsville district was not even on the radar of most producers up-valley yet. The Haynes planted the Wente clone of Chardonnay on its own roots at the advice of Louis Martini Sr, a client of Duncan’s law firm, and sold him grapes before starting their own Whitford Cellars under legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff. The vines have been continuously tended since 1971 by Fernando Delgado, who lives on the property. The vines enjoy a cooling effect from the nearby San Pablo Bay to the South, a rare cool clime in the Napa Valley. The soils are complex and diverse thanks to the folding of earth during the formation of the Mayacamas range. The soil is extremely rocky and austere, composed of volcanic alluvium and river cobble. Since 2020 we have been offered a few rows of this incredible vineyard and we jumped at the opportunity to shepherd some of this special fruit to bottle. 

Elevation: 150’
Clone/Selection: Wente
Soils: Coombs Series, gravelly loam
Vine Density: 6’x8’
Farming: Organic
Planted: 1967