La Jota Vineyard Co. was founded in 1898 by Frederick Hess, an immigrant from Switzerland, who established a German-language newspaper in San Francisco. No doubt influenced by other European immigrants involved in California’s nascent wine industry, Hess purchased 327 acres of a Mexican land grant—Rancho La Jota—on Howell Mountain to plant vineyards. He built the stone winery from volcanic ash rock quarried on the property; his first fermentation tanks also came from the estate, from a stand of nearby coastal redwoods.
The rocky, shallow soils, the abundance of wind and fog, and the remoteness of Howell Mountain terroir were reminiscent of Europe where some of the best wines in the world were being produced. Hess, along with other early pioneers, believed that Napa Valley could achieve the same distinction – and they were right. At the 1900 Paris Exposition, only two years after the winery’s construction, La Jota garnered international recognition after Hess won a bronze medal for his “Blanco.”
Prohibition effectively ended wine production in the United States and the market for Howell Mountain’s superior wines collapsed. Although Prohibition ended in 1933, the damage was already done. A few Howell Mountain wineries attempted to start up again, but none succeeded. Ultimately the wineries were left empty and the region became home to numerous “ghost” wineries. A half-century went by, and in 1974, former oilman Bill Smith acquired the “ghost” La Jota Vineyard Co. and planted vines on the estate. Eight years later, in 1982, the revived La Jota winery was officially bonded. In 2005, California wine pioneer Jess Jackson and his wife Barbara Banke purchased La Jota.
Today, the winery proudly carries on the century-old La Jota Vineyard Co. winemaking tradition, producing small lots of mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Chardonnay.
There are 28 acres planted across three estate vineyards, each with its own distinct personality. The Hill vineyard is the highest, sunny and steep. The Meadow vineyard is the largest, and the Winery Block vineyard sits next to the original 19th century stone winery. The Winery Block is planted with St. George rootstock, and comprised of unique, phylloxera-resistant Cabernet Franc vines that date back over 40 years.
A century after the Star’s report, in 1983, the Howell Mountain American Viticultural Area (AVA) became one of the first official sub-appellation of Napa Valley. Where rivers, creeks and property lines usually define an AVA, the Howell Mountain boundaries are defined by a 1,400 foot elevation contour line as the lowest point and the highest vineyards at 2,500 feet above sea level. The vines share the mountain with pines, oaks, madrone and coastal redwoods.
On many summer mornings, a white blanket of coastal fog covers the Napa Valley. Howell Mountain, in stark contrast, rises gracefully above the fog line, giving it slightly warmer nighttime temperatures and cooler mid-day temperatures than the valley floor. While the differences in temperature are still pronounced enough to maintain balanced acidity in the grapes, the steadier climate allows the berries to develop thicker skins that impart intense color, texture and structure to wines.
Howell Mountain itself is a weathered volcanic “knob” with two distinct soils: crumbly white decomposed volcanic ash known as rhyolitic tuff and red, iron-laden soils of clay and volcanic rock. Vines develop good root systems in these well-draining, porous, nutrient-lean soils, allowing them to self-regulate the amount of water they take in. The vines have to struggle to survive, resulting in tiny berries and clusters with very high flavor concentration
In 1898, Frederick Hess, an immigrant from Switzerland, founded the La Jota Vineyard Co. in a remote, wind-swept hollow high on Howell Mountain.
Today, winemaker Chris Carpenter proves himself a worthy descendant of those far-sighted pioneers, putting a wealth of knowledge and nearly two decades of hard-won mountain winemaking experience to use in near-perfect conditions at La Jota. Here, where hawks ride the wind over a rough, emerald patchwork of vineyards and forest, Chris works to nurture and then manifest the unique character of each La Jota vineyard block in elegant wines of great depth, mountain character, and historic pedigree.
After graduating from the University of Illinois with a BS in biology, Chris went on to business school in Chicago and earned an MBA. The next few years he spent in Chicago where, among other things, he tended bar; and it was in this milieu that he developed a love of food and wine, and a considerable network of colleagues in the business.
A visit to Napa Valley in 1993 convinced Chris he could combine his knowledge of science, his business education, a flair for gastronomy, and his creative side if he were to become a winemaker. He soon earned a Masters in viticulture and enology from the University of California, Davis and in 1998 found himself working as the Assistant Winemaker at Cardinale.
It did not take long for Chris to establish a reputation for making wines from mountain terroir, and in 2005 he became the Winemaker for La Jota. Chris lives with his wife and daughters in the Napa Valley, where he has put down deep roots, having been a member of the Board of Directors for Slow Food USA, and founder of the Napa Valley Slow Food chapter. He is active in charities and auctions, but still finds time to occasionally slip behind the bar for a shift at his favorite locale.
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