Cain Vineyard

Cain Vineyard was founded in 1980 when Jerry and Joyce Cain purchased 550 acres on Spring Mountain, part of the historic McCormick Ranch; part of that ranch is preserved today as the McCormick Sanctuary within the California State Park System. Jerry was a Palm Springs-based commercial real estate developer running Cain Development Corp, and Joyce, a building designer, designed the winery and hospitality center herself. Their vision from the outset was a mountain vineyard dedicated to the classical five-variety red Bordeaux blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The first Cabernet Sauvignon vines went into the ground around La Piedra in 1981 and 1982, Cabernet Franc followed in the Orchard in 1984, and Vineyard Manager David Hudgins completed the set with Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot the next year. The winery, christened Cain Cellars, saw its first crush in the fall of 1982; per the Napa Wine Project, the very first vintage made at Cain was a 1981 Sauvignon Blanc from purchased fruit, before the estate's own Bordeaux blend became its signature. Jim and Nancy Meadlock joined the Cains as partners in 1986 and became sole owners in 1991, the year the project took the name Cain Vineyard & Winery; Chris Howell, who had begun consulting to the Cains in 1990, took over direction that same year and remains winemaker and general manager today. Nancy Meadlock died in 2019.

• Founded 1980 by Jerry and Joyce Cain on 550 acres of the historic McCormick Ranch on Spring Mountain; Joyce Cain designed the winery and hospitality center
• Planting began with Cabernet Sauvignon around La Piedra in 1981-1982, Cabernet Franc in the Orchard in 1984, then Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot in 1985, completing the classic five-variety set
• First crush at Cain Cellars in the fall of 1982; per the Napa Wine Project, the winery's actual first vintage was a 1981 Sauvignon Blanc from purchased grapes
• Jim and Nancy Meadlock joined as partners in 1986 and became sole owners in 1991 when the Cains stepped away; Chris Howell, consulting since 1990, took over direction the same year
• Nancy Meadlock died in 2019

The Cain vineyard clings to the sides of a bowl along the crest of the Mayacamas Range, in the most south-western corner of the Spring Mountain District, at elevations of 1,400 to 2,100 feet (450 to 675 meters). Soils here are almost exclusively sedimentary rather than volcanic, formed from decaying sandstone and shale, rich in clay but low in potassium, with the calcium and magnesium content producing naturally low fertility. Cain's own site and the Napa Wine Project agree the original purchase totaled 550 acres, of which about 90 are planted to vine (a separate facts box on Cain's own site gives a lower total of 500 acres for the same 90 planted acres, a discrepancy between two pages on the producer's own site). The Napa Wine Project describes the vineyards as low-yielding, farmed on rocky, shallow soils at up to about 1.5 tons per acre, and certified organic. Planting of the Cain Mountain Vineyard continued through 1988, and the estate replanted extensively from 1996 through 2006 onto phylloxera-resistant rootstocks; by the end of 2009, 95 percent of the vines stood on phylloxera-resistant roots. Harvest across the five varieties typically lasts about six weeks, beginning with east-facing Merlot and usually finishing with northwest-facing Cabernet Franc. The 2020 Glass Fire burned directly through the vineyard bowl, destroying most of the vines and all of the buildings. Replanting resumed late in 2020 under Vineyard Manager Ashley Anderson-Bennett, who replanted a couple of acres before adding roughly ten more in the spring of 2021; a small 2021 Cain Five was produced from the surviving and newly planted vines. As of an April 2026 press report, winemaker Chris Howell said roughly two-thirds of the vineyard had been replanted, with full restoration expected by 2030. A 2026 news post on Cain's own site describes the Cain team working the vineyard alongside a Coastal Vineyard crew.

• Elevation 1,400 to 2,100 feet along the crest of the Mayacamas Range, south-western corner of the Spring Mountain District; sedimentary soils of decaying sandstone and shale, low in potassium
• 550 acres purchased, about 90 planted to vine (Cain's own site separately states a lower 500-acre total in one facts box); vineyards farmed at up to about 1.5 tons per acre and certified organic, per the Napa Wine Project
• Extensive replanting 1996-2006 onto phylloxera-resistant rootstocks; 95% of vines phylloxera-resistant by the end of 2009
• The 2020 Glass Fire burned through the vineyard bowl, destroying most vines and all buildings; replanting resumed late 2020, with roughly two-thirds of the vineyard replanted as of an April 2026 press report and full restoration targeted for 2030
• Cain's own 2026 news post describes the Cain team working the vineyard alongside a Coastal Vineyard crew

Cain produces three Cabernet blends, each drawn from its own vineyard sources: Cain Five, the estate-grown flagship first made in 1985; Cain Concept, labeled The Benchland; and Cain Cuvee, a non-vintage blend of Napa Valley fruit. The 1985 first vintage of Cain Five predates the estate's full self-sufficiency; Cain's own history page separately notes that 1990 was the first vintage made entirely from estate-grown fruit, a run that continued through 1994 before resuming in 2007 as the replanted vineyard matured. Winemaking follows the same path for all three wines: hand picking, gentle destemming, native-yeast fermentation, thoughtful maceration, and intentional elevage. Roughly twenty individual lots typically contribute to each of the three wines, and after blending each wine returns to barrel for another year or more of elevage. One recent Cain Cuvee bottling, the NV15, was a blend of the 2014 and 2015 vintages, made with 70 percent grapes from the Spring Mountain estate and 30 percent from the valley floor, per the Napa Wine Project. Decanter's December 2024 Top 50 US Wines feature praised a Cain bottling's "beautifully savoury quality so reminiscent of Cain," describing it as "incredibly fresh and vivid on the palate, with tar-laced berry fruit, crunchy acidity, and potent tannins." Winemaker and general manager Chris Howell, with Cain since 1990, previously worked at Chateau Mouton Rothschild and at Peter Michael Winery in Sonoma County's Knights Valley, per the Napa Wine Project.

• Cain Five: estate-grown flagship Bordeaux blend, first vintage 1985; first vintage made entirely from estate-grown fruit was 1990, continuing through 1994 and resuming in 2007
• Cain Concept (The Benchland) and Cain Cuvee complete the three-wine range; a recent Cain Cuvee bottling (NV15) blended the 2014 and 2015 vintages, 70% Spring Mountain fruit and 30% valley floor, per the Napa Wine Project
• Winemaking process shared across all three wines: hand picking, gentle destemming, native-yeast fermentation, thoughtful maceration, and intentional elevage; roughly twenty lots typically contribute to each wine
• Decanter's December 2024 Top 50 US Wines feature praised a Cain bottling's savoury character, freshness, tar-laced berry fruit, and potent tannins
• Chris Howell, winemaker since 1990, previously worked at Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Peter Michael Winery in Knights Valley, Sonoma County, per the Napa Wine Project

The 2020 Glass Fire tore through the Cain estate, destroying the winery, tasting room, and a significant share of the mountain vineyard; the winery and tasting room were never rebuilt. Cain's previous owners, the Meadlock family, had planned to rebuild but made little progress in the five years that followed. In December 2025, San Francisco investment firm Third Leaf Partners quietly acquired the Cain Vineyards & Winery brand and its remaining inventory. Both the San Francisco Chronicle and the Napa Wine Project independently report that Third Leaf bought the brand and inventory but not the mountaintop estate itself, which sits more than 2,000 feet up on a ridge of Spring Mountain directly on the Napa-Sonoma county line; the estate was sold separately, to a different, undisclosed buyer, according to Third Leaf managing partner Alex Pagon. Third Leaf's broader wine-business portfolio includes online auction site WineBid (acquired 2017), online retailer Last Bottle (acquired 2021), and Napa Valley brands Conn Creek, bought from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, and Cornerstone Cellars, bought from its co-founder (both in 2024). Chris Howell, Cain's winemaker for more than 35 years, continues making the wines, and Pagon said Third Leaf was close to finalizing a long-term arrangement to keep sourcing grapes from the Cain site. Cain wines have found a new home for tastings at The Yount Room in Yountville, in the space previously occupied by Cornerstone Cellars.

• 2020 Glass Fire destroyed the winery, tasting room, and much of the mountain vineyard; neither the winery nor the tasting room was rebuilt
• December 2025: Third Leaf Partners acquired the Cain Vineyards & Winery brand and remaining inventory; the mountaintop estate was sold separately to a different, undisclosed buyer
• Third Leaf's wine-business portfolio: WineBid (2017), Last Bottle (2021), Conn Creek (from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, 2024), Cornerstone Cellars (2024)
• Chris Howell, winemaker for more than 35 years, continues making Cain's wines; Third Leaf is working toward a long-term arrangement to keep sourcing grapes from the Cain site
• Cain tastings now take place at The Yount Room in Yountville, in the space previously home to Cornerstone Cellars

Primary sources (producer's own site, cainfive.com): https://www.cainfive.com/, https://www.cainfive.com/all-about-cain/, https://www.cainfive.com/store-the-wines/, https://www.cainfive.com/contact-visit/, https://www.cainfive.com/for-the-trade/. Secondary sources: San Francisco Chronicle, "Napa's Cain Vineyards & Winery sold to SF firm Third Leaf Partners" (December 2025 reporting); The Napa Wine Project, Cain Vineyard & Winery review page. Last verified 2026-09-14. Where the producer's own site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs except where noted above (the estate-acreage figure and the current-ownership line in Cain's own facts box, both superseded by better-corroborated reporting).