Napa Valley
Currently making amazing wines like the 2022 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon that was recently sent to Club 672 members, the team at Grassi Wine Company remains proud of its very humble beginnings. Founder Mark Grassi was a college biology major in the late 1970s and early 1980s but had to drop out because he ran out of money. He then moved to Napa to work as a carpenter and began taking classes at Napa Junior College to get his construction management license but also took a class on viticulture and enology which instituted a love of wine that would always stay with him. He started his own construction company and specialized in custom homes and wineries, and worked on well-known winery projects such as Screaming Eagle, The Hilt, Aperture, Ovid, Dalle Valle, and Continuum. In the late 1990s he was able to purchase a 4-acre plot of land on Soda Canyon Road, built a home, and planted a vineyard. Mark and his wife Jami started the Grassi Wine Company in 2005 and today the property boasts 15 acres with 5 acres planted with vines. Their vineyards are located on a bench just above the valley floor just south of Stags Leap District, north of Coombsville, and right below Atlas Peak. The soils are comprised of an ancient riverbed with rocks ranging from small pebbles to those larger than a watermelon. Mark and Jami’s daughter Cassandra is the director of operations and is one of a handful of team members that includes her dad who helps make vineyard decisions, her husband Miguel Luna, who is their vineyard manager, and winemaker Maayan Koschitzky.
While Grassi Wine Company does not have a dedicated tasting room, Cassandra says visitors are welcome to call ahead, explaining, “We offer property visits to our home to share our wines.”
Cassandra tells Club 672 that in addition to Cabernet Sauvignon her family specializes in Italian varietals. “We also grow a white grape native to Fruili, Italy called Ribolla Gialla and we also make a small amount of Sangiovese.” Set up a tasting or learn more at https://grassiwines.com.
