Yountville
Balthasar and Elizabeth Darms settled on the 120-acre property that would later become the Shifflett Ranch and Vineyard in 1883 and at that time the local newspaper reported that 36 acres of land had already been planted with two-year old-vines. The Darms family sold to Wade and Mary Elizabeth Shifflett in 1942 and since then the property has remained in the Shifflett family. Wade Sr. was raised in Iowa, moved to Santa Rosa and got married before settling in Napa to manage the Napa Lumber Company. His son Wade Jr. became a Napa County judge and assistant district attorney and along with his wife and children planted 25 acres of Chardonnay. Their plan was to sell the grapes to neighboring wineries and their star-studded roster included Raymond, Elyse, and Freemark Abbey.
Today the property boasts 54 planted acres of vines including Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Jeffrey Shifflett, Jr. is the winery facilities manager and Kathryn Shifflett Hoff is the manager. They are assisted by four other family members including Jeffrey Shifflett, Michael Shifflett, Steven Shifflett, and Mary Shifflett Streblow.
The Shifflett Ranch and Vineyard 2019 Proprietary Red Wine that was sent to 672 members earlier this year was completely estate grown and bottled. It is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc that was grown in the family vineyard south of Yountville in the western benchlands of the Mayacamas Mountains. The Shifflett vineyard extends from the valley floor all the way up to the tree line at 800 feet. The Cabernet Franc blocks are planted with a southern hillside exposure resulting in ample sun all season long which allows the grapes to come to full maturity and ripeness, while the Merlot is planted in soils resulting from an ancient alluvial fan that imparts rich volcanic minerality to the grapes. Harvest occurred on October 5, 2019, and the two grapes were co-fermented in stainless steel tanks fitted with cooling coils. The winemaking team performed pump-overs twice a day for 16 days. The ferment was then pressed and aged in 80 percent new French oak barrels for 20 months. Winemaker Will Segui, who is also a family member, he trained under the tutelage of famed Napa winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. He and the team believe in minimal input winemaking to showcase the true characteristics of the vineyard.
Shifflett Ranch and Vineyard wines are only available directly from the winery and 672 Napa Valley Wine Club. Members are invited to visit the winery at 1201 Darms Lane in Napa. This winery is a well-kept industry secret with most referrals coming from word-of-mouth, private drivers, and recommendations from local hotel concierges. The Shiffletts are very proud that Shifflett Ranch and Vineyard is a fully staffed and managed family project and they’re excited to showcase excellent wines that are a great example of the expression of the grapes grown on their property.
