Falleri Vineyard, Calistoga, Napa Valley

This historic little vineyard of head-trained vines is located at the edge of town in Calistoga. It is a remnant of vineyards that have been in the same family since the 1920s.  Argentina Falleri was an immigrant from Italy who moved to Calistoga from the logging camps of the Mendocino coast in 1924 and took over the young vineyard. The family also farmed chickens and operated a gas station on the site. Gasoline, eggs, and Zinfandel…America… what a country!  After the Argentina era, her daughter, Olivia Heitz, assumed stewardship of the family vineyard. Today, Sonya Spencer, Olivia’s daughter, proudly and dutifully continues the women’s tradition–minus the eggs and gas. The vines sit on the loamy clay soils at the base of Mount St. Helena in the warmer northern half of Napa Valley, which lends to concentrated, ripe, and flavor packed Zinfandel–all while maintaining beautiful elegance. It is a small, but mighty vineyard that usually only produces about 50 cases, which gets snatched up quickly!