SEAVEY VINEYARD

In Napa’s Conn Valley, a family-run winery marches to its own drum

- JAMES MOLESWORTH

As you turn down the driveway of Seavey Vineyard you know right away it isn’t your typical Napa Valley winery. The signage is tiny. The driveway isn’t manicured. There’s a herd of cows in the front pasture. And when you park by the old stone winery and step out of the car, the pleasant cacophony of farm life – hens crowing, cows mooing and dogs barking, fills the air gently.

Bill and Mary Seavey purchased the property in 1979 and began to replant the vineyard and renovate the old stone dairy barn into a winery. Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Petit Verdot went into production and Seavey debuted in the 1990 vintage. The vineyard sits on land that was first developed for wine production by the Franco-Swiss Farming Company in the late 1800s—the ruins of that old stone winery sit just next door.

Phylloxera and then Prohibition eventually ended the FrancoSwiss operation, and the land reverted back to cattle pasture for a few generations. In its 19th-century heyday however, it was essentially the pioneering producer of the Conn Valley that flanks Conn Creek as it comes down off Howell Mountain before emptying into the northwest corner of Lake Hennessey. The drive to Seavey runs along a road dotted with Spanish moss–draped green oaks and rolling hills that can get you easily turned around on yourself. Though barely a 15-minute drive from St. Helena, it seems like a world away, with a distinctly different feel and flora. And it shows in the wine.

Gary Galleron made the first few vintages of Seavey before being followed in 1995 by Philippe Melka. Though Melka has gone on to develop his own winery and a high-profile consultant business, he still lends his thoughts to the wines at Seavey.

“Seavey has always kept a consistent traditional direction of winemaking over the years, without being affected by any outside noises,” says Melka. “It has been a true pleasure to keep working for this estate over the years.”