Blanton Family Vineyards, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
Selah owner and vintner Joe Blanton is in charge of operations at the winery and he is also most likely the person who will pour your wine when you schedule a tasting in Napa Valley. He and Richard Smock, whom he calls “the Selah Road Warrior,” handle the day-to-day responsibilities of running a winery, taking orders, and answering customer’s queries. When asked how he got into wine, Joe told Club 672, “I was visiting Napa Valley as a tourist, and I fell in love with Napa and all aspects of wines. My dream was to one day own a vineyard and I was fortunate enough to do so.”
Joe’s vineyard is almost 3 acres in size and is planted with Cabernet clones 7 and 337 because, as he says, “Selah is completely focused on making the best Cabernet Sauvignon we can from Howell Mountain.” He counts Dunn and Beringer’s Steinhauer Ranch as his closest neighbors.
Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown started at Selah with the inaugural 2014 vintage, and he continues to vinify the wines at nearby Outpost Wines. Selah does not have a tasting room, so Joe generally meets customers at a local restaurant and Rich usually meets customers as he travels around the United States. When asked if there is anything else our 672 Club members should know about the Selah wine they recently received, Joe tells Club 672, “It’s a beautiful representation of time and place. It shows the depth and persistence of our winemaking team. Always striving to produce small production, world class wines that can stand shoulder to shoulder with any Cabernet Sauvignon in the world!”
