Hundred Acre

Hundred Acre was founded in 2000 when Canadian-born former investment banker Jayson Woodbridge acquired what was then called the Kayli Morgan vineyard on Howell Mountain. The first vintage, the 2000 Kayli Morgan, was crafted with assistance from winemaker Philippe Melka at Rombauer, but Woodbridge assumed sole winemaking responsibility from 2002 onward. The name was drawn not from the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, as is often assumed, but from a personal Zen reflection on a childhood forest. Production moved to The Ring, a purpose-built underground cave winery beneath the Ark Vineyard, in 2005. Early success allowed Woodbridge to buy out original investors and partners, and the brand grew alongside a portfolio of more accessible labels, including Layer Cake and Cherry Pie, which were later sold to Vintage Wine Estates.

• Founded 2000 on the Kayli Morgan (now Morgan's Way) vineyard, Howell Mountain; vineyard planted 1996
• Philippe Melka consulted on the inaugural 2000 vintage; Woodbridge became sole winemaker from 2002
• The Ring underground winery, built beneath Ark Vineyard, became operational in 2005
• Accessible brands Layer Cake, Cherry Pie, and If You See Kay were later sold to Vintage Wine Estates

Hundred Acre is wholly owned by Jayson Woodbridge and his wife Helen Woodbridge, a New Zealand native who serves as co-owner and co-winemaker on select projects. Helen Mawson Woodbridge joined the enterprise after original investors and partners were bought out, establishing a true family-run structure. Son Cameron is involved in operations, and the family has put succession planning in place to ensure brand continuity beyond the founding generation. Nicole Kilbourne serves as assistant winemaker across the Hundred Acre, Fortunate Son, and Summer Dreams labels. In July 2025 the winery announced new leadership appointments, naming Matt Ochse as National Sales Director and Leah Moorhead as Central Region Manager, signaling a broadening organizational structure as the estate expands.

• Jayson and Helen Woodbridge are sole proprietors as of 2024 to 2025; Helen is New Zealand-born and acts as co-winemaker on select projects
• Son Cameron is involved in operations with formal succession planning underway
• Nicole Kilbourne serves as assistant winemaker across Hundred Acre, Fortunate Son, and Summer Dreams projects
• July 2025 leadership expansion: Matt Ochse named National Sales Director; Leah Moorhead named Central Region Manager

The core Hundred Acre estate comprises three distinct single-vineyard sites totaling 26.9 hectares across Howell Mountain, the base of Glass Mountain, and the hills above Calistoga. Morgan's Way (formerly Kayli Morgan) covers 8.64 hectares on the eastern slopes of Howell Mountain and is planted exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon on vines dating to 1996. Ark Vineyard stretches across 7.29 hectares below Glass Mountain, with 5.26 hectares planted to six Cabernet Sauvignon clones. Few and Far Between is the most intimate site at 2.02 hectares, situated above Eisele Vineyard near Calistoga and planted to 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 10 percent Cabernet Franc. A wave of acquisitions has dramatically expanded the footprint: the historic David Fulton Ranch in St. Helena (2020), an 18-acre 1870s-era Larkmead Lane vineyard renamed True Romance (2022), Madrigal Winery in Calistoga (July 2024), and the 116-hectare Kelly Fleming Winery estate in Simmons Canyon (August 2024), the last of which is now operated as Hundred Acre Private Road and combined with adjoining land to form a roughly 400-acre holding.

• Morgan's Way: 8.64 ha on Howell Mountain east of Silverado Trail, Cabernet Sauvignon planted 1996
• Ark Vineyard: 7.29 ha below Glass Mountain, six Cabernet Sauvignon clones across 5.26 ha planted
• Few and Far Between: 2.02 ha near Calistoga, 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc
• Kelly Fleming Winery (286 acres, Simmons Canyon, acquired August 2024) combined with adjacent land now forms a roughly 400-acre estate renamed Hundred Acre Private Road

Jayson Woodbridge's winemaking method is defined by layers of selection applied before, during, and after harvest. Each vineyard receives five or more individual harvest passes to capture fruit at precise ripeness, followed by berry-by-berry sorting at the winery. Fermentation takes place in 500-litre French oak puncheons, allowing near-microscopic lot management and granular blending decisions. Barrel aging runs a minimum of 24 to 42 months, considerably longer than typical Napa production timelines. The Ring cave winery, which has operated since 2005, is equipped with NASA International Space Station air-filtration technology using UV and ozone systems to maintain pristine cellar conditions. The resulting wines span single-vineyard bottlings from each of the three estate sites, a multi-vineyard blend called Wraith, a concentrated Ark selection called Dark Ark, and the ultra-limited Precious, produced to fewer than 90 cases in vintages when it is made at all.

• Fermentation in 500-litre French oak puncheons following berry-by-berry sorting and 5-plus harvest passes per vineyard
• Minimum 24 to 42 months barrel aging; The Ring cave equipped with NASA ISS air-filtration using UV and ozone technology
• Flagship lineup: Morgan's Way, Ark Vineyard, Few and Far Between (single-vineyard); Wraith (estate blend); Dark Ark (concentrated Ark selection); Precious (under 90 cases when produced)
• 24-carat gold ring fired into the glass rim of each bottle symbolizes a stated commitment to zero compromise

Hundred Acre occupies a singular position in the modern Napa Valley narrative: no other winery has accumulated as many perfect 100-point scores, and the May 2025 milestone of 78 flawless ratings across 20 vintages places Woodbridge in territory no predecessor has reached. The 2021 vintage, which yielded six separate 100-point scores, marked the first time any single winemaker achieved that result from one growing season. Beyond the numbers, the estate is significant for demonstrating what obsessive fruit selection, micro-scale fermentation, and extended aging can produce from three closely managed vineyard sites in three different Napa subzones. The rapid 2024 acquisitions, particularly Kelly Fleming and Madrigal, signal a deliberate pivot toward geographic diversification and long-term institutional scale, even as the core wines remain stubbornly allocation-only with waitlists stretching five years or more. For students of the wine trade, Hundred Acre is an essential case study in cult wine economics, single-vineyard Napa identity, and the commercial power of critical acclaim.

• 78 perfect 100-point scores across 20 vintages as of May 2025, the most of any single winery worldwide
• First winemaker to receive six perfect scores from a single vintage (2021)
• Allocation-only distribution with waitlists reported at five-plus years; no retail availability in conventional channels
• 2024 acquisitions (Kelly Fleming, Madrigal) mark a strategic expansion beyond the original 26.9-hectare core estate toward a broader multi-site Napa operation