Cathiard Vineyard

Scottish brothers James and William Rennie purchased the Rutherford property in 1885, planting sixty acres of grapes across what are now the Rutherford and St. Helena AVAs and building a stone gravity-flow winery. Prohibition shuttered the winery in 1920, and the stone building sat as one of the Napa Valley's ghost wineries, built between 1860 and 1900 and left disused for decades. Louis Martini purchased the property in 1933; in the late 1970s he sold to the Komes-Garvey family, who sold it in turn to the Cathiard family in January 2020. The Napa Valley Vintners' own winery directory likewise dates the estate's history to 1885.

• James and William Rennie purchased 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 January 2026. Following his death, the estate's executive board was joined by his daughters, Mathilde Thomas and Alice Tourbier, while Florence Cathiard 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 a 1993 conversation with Professor Joseph Vercauteren at Château Smith Haut Lafitte about the antioxidant properties of grape-seed extracts. Alice Tourbier and her husband Jérôme Tourbier operate Les Sources de Caudalie, the five-star resort located about 200 meters from Château Smith Haut Lafitte.

• Daniel and Florence Cathiard have owned Château Smith Haut Lafitte since 1990
• Daniel Cathiard died in January 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, of which 58 are planted, and was sold by the Flora Springs family to the Cathiards in early 2020. The vineyard is planted predominantly to Cabernet Sauvignon, along 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, intended 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
• Sold by the Flora Springs family to 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 also work with the team. Since the Cathiard acquisition, blocks of Malbec were replanted with Cabernet and pruning and canopy management shifted toward quality over the previous owner's higher yields. The approach favors gentler extraction: cooler fermentation temperatures, less pumping over and smaller barrels. Cooper Alban Trouvé staffs the estate's on-site cooperage, with a goal of supplying all of the estate's barrels there 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 were changed to prioritize quality over yield
• Style favors gentler extraction: cooler fermentation, less pumping over, smaller barrels
• On-site cooperage staffed by cooper Alban Trouvé, aiming 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, trading volume for a focused three-wine lineup. The estate's early vintages have drawn strong critical scores: James Suckling gave the 2020 Cathiard Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 97 points and the 2021 vintage 99 points. The on-site cooperage and the 2025 white wine planting point to a producer investing for the long term, and the transition of Mathilde Thomas and Alice Tourbier onto the executive board, following Daniel Cathiard's death in January 2026, keeps that direction in family hands.

• Production cut from 670,000 to 62,000 bottles after the Cathiard acquisition
• James Suckling scored the 2020 vintage 97 points and the 2021 vintage 99 points
• On-site cooperage and 2025 white wine planting signal long-term investment
• Mathilde Thomas and Alice Tourbier joined the executive board after Daniel Cathiard's death in January 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: 2026-09-14