Cathiard Vineyard

Scottish brothers James and William Rennie bought the Rutherford property in 1885, planted sixty acres of grapes covering the Rutherford and St. Helena AVAs, and built a stone gravity-flow winery. Prohibition shut the winery in 1920, and the stone building became one of the Napa Valley's ghost wineries, built between 1860 and 1900 and left untouched for many years. Louis Martini bought the property in 1933; in the late 1970s he sold to the Komes-Garvey family, who sold it to the Cathiard family in January 2020. The estate's history dates back to 1885.

• James and William Rennie bought the property in 1885 and built a stone gravity-flow winery
• The winery closed with Prohibition in 1920 and stood as a Napa Valley ghost winery
• Louis Martini owned the property from 1933
• The Komes-Garvey family owned it from the late 1970s until selling to the Cathiard family in January 2020

Daniel and Florence Cathiard have owned Château Smith Haut Lafitte in Pessac-Léognan since 1990. Daniel Cathiard died in 2026. Their daughters, Mathilde Thomas and Alice Tourbier, have joined the estate's executive board, and Florence Cathiard has moved into a supervisory role. Mathilde Thomas and her husband Bertrand Thomas co-founded the skincare brand Caudalie in 1995, in their early twenties, after meeting Professor Joseph Vercauteren at Château Smith Haut Lafitte during the 1993 harvest, where he told them about the antioxidant properties of grape-seed extracts. Alice Tourbier and her husband Jérôme Tourbier operate Les Sources de Caudalie, the five-star resort about 200 meters from Château Smith Haut Lafitte.

• Daniel and Florence Cathiard have owned Château Smith Haut Lafitte since 1990
• Daniel Cathiard died in 2026
• Daughters Mathilde Thomas and Alice Tourbier joined the estate's executive board; Florence Cathiard moved to a supervisory role
• Mathilde Thomas co-founded Caudalie with her husband Bertrand Thomas in 1995; Alice Tourbier and her husband Jérôme Tourbier operate the Les Sources de Caudalie resort

Cathiard Vineyard sits at 1978 Zinfandel Lane in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains, spanning the Rutherford and St. Helena AVAs. The property totals 200 acres, 58 of them planted, and the Cathiards bought it as Flora Springs Winery in early 2020. Cabernet Sauvignon makes up most of the vineyard, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, and the oldest vines date to 1983. In 2025 the estate planted Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Musqué and Pinot Gris for a future white field blend.

• 200 acres total, 58 planted, in the Rutherford and St. Helena AVAs at the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains
• Bought as Flora Springs Winery by Daniel and Florence Cathiard in early 2020
• Red varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (majority), Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec; oldest vines date to 1983
• 2025 white plantings of Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Musqué and Pinot Gris, intended for a future field blend

General Manager and Head Winemaker Justine Labbé works alongside Fabien Teitgen, who mentored her in Bordeaux for three years before she moved to Napa. Consultants Michel Rolland and oenologist Frederick Ammons complete the team. Since the Cathiard purchase, blocks of Malbec have been replanted with Cabernet, and pruning and canopy management have moved away from the previous owner's high yields toward quality. Extraction is gentler: cooler fermentation temperatures, less pumping over and smaller barrels. Cooper Alban Trouvé runs the estate's on-site cooperage, which is set to supply all of the estate's barrels by 2026. The flagship wines are Cathiard Vineyard, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, and two Bordeaux-style blends, Founding Brothers and Hora.

• Justine Labbé (General Manager and Head Winemaker) and Fabien Teitgen (her mentor in Bordeaux for three years) lead winemaking, with consultants Michel Rolland and Frederick Ammons
• Malbec blocks were replanted with Cabernet; pruning and canopy management now prioritize quality over yield
• Gentler extraction: cooler fermentation, less pumping over, smaller barrels
• On-site cooperage run by cooper Alban Trouvé, set to supply all estate barrels by 2026
• Flagship wines: Cathiard Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon), Founding Brothers and Hora

The Cathiards cut annual production from 670,000 bottles under the previous owner to 62,000 bottles and narrowed the lineup to three wines. James Suckling gave the 2020 Cathiard Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 97 points and the 2021 vintage 99 points. The on-site cooperage, due to make every estate barrel by 2026, and the 2025 white plantings extend the project, and Mathilde Thomas and Alice Tourbier now sit on the executive board.

• Production cut from 670,000 to 62,000 bottles after the Cathiard purchase
• James Suckling scored the 2020 vintage 97 points and the 2021 vintage 99 points
• On-site cooperage (all estate barrels by 2026) and 2025 white plantings
• Mathilde Thomas and Alice Tourbier joined the executive board; Daniel Cathiard (d. 2026)

This article was rebuilt from the producer's own site (cathiardvineyard.com) and independent secondary sources, fetched and verified on 2026-09-14: Napa Wine Project (napawineproject.com/cathiard-vineyard), The Drinks Business (thedrinksbusiness.com, 2024 profile and February 2026 obituary of Daniel Cathiard), the Napa Valley Vintners' own winery directory (napavalley.wine), and retailer critic-score listings (saratogawine.com, yianniswine.com) for James Suckling's published scores.

• Primary: https://www.cathiardvineyard.com/
• Secondary: https://www.napawineproject.com/cathiard-vineyard/
• Secondary: https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2024/10/cathiard-vineyards-its-all-about-balance/
• Secondary: https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/02/daniel-cathiard-of-chateau-smith-haut-lafitte-and-cathiard-vineyard-dies-at-81/
• Last verified: 2026-10-12