Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery

The estate began in 1882, when George Schonewald and his wife, Catherine, purchased 31 acres at the foot of the Mayacamas range in St. Helena, planted 17 acres of wine grapes, and christened the property Esmeralda. In 1884 the Schonewalds sold several acres to Franz "Frank" Kraft, who built a Victorian-style farmhouse and a sandstone wine cellar. George Schonewald sold the estate to Joseph Bliss in 1906, and Bliss renamed it Stonehurst. In 1908 Bliss sold it to Dr. George Allen, and the Allens renamed it Lyndenhurst in honor of the linden trees in the garden. In 1910 the Allens sold the estate to Susan Spotts, who renamed it Spottswoode in memory of her late husband, Albert. Descendants of the Spotts family owned the property until 1972, when Dr. Jack and Mary Novak purchased the 31-acre estate and then added 15 acres of bordering farmland. After Jack Novak's death in 1977, Mary Weber Novak managed the vineyard and sold grapes to Napa Valley winemaking families including the Shafers and the Duckhorns. In 1982 she founded Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, hired Tony Soter as winemaker, and produced 1,200 cases of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, one hundred years after the estate's founding. The Novaks bought the historic Kraft property in 1989, and a new winery designed by Howard Backen followed in 1999. Mary Weber Novak died in 2016.

• 1882: George and Catherine Schonewald plant 17 acres of wine grapes and name the property Esmeralda
• 1906 to 1910: the estate is renamed Stonehurst, then Lyndenhurst, then Spottswoode
• 1972: Dr. Jack and Mary Novak purchase the estate; the Novak family has owned it since
• 1982: Mary Novak founds the winery and makes the first Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Beth Novak, Mary's youngest daughter, joined in 1987 as the first second-generation family member actively involved in guiding the winery, and later succeeded her mother as CEO. Lindy Novak, Mary's oldest daughter, joined in 1992 to expand the winery's sales efforts. Beth Novak is President & CEO, Lindy Novak is Board Member & Marketing Ambassador, Aron Weinkauf is Winemaker & Vineyard Manager, Maija Roses is Assistant Winemaker, and Molly Sheppard is Director of Winery Strategy. Aron Weinkauf took over as winemaker from Jennifer Williams in 2011. Earlier winemakers included Tony Soter, who made the first vintage in 1982, Pam Starr, who joined as winemaker in 1992, and Rosemary Cakebread, who became winemaker in 1997.

• Beth Novak: President & CEO; joined 1987
• Lindy Novak: Board Member & Marketing Ambassador; joined 1992
• Aron Weinkauf: Winemaker & Vineyard Manager; winemaker since 2011
• Earlier winemakers: Tony Soter (1982), Pam Starr (1992), Rosemary Cakebread (1997), Jennifer Williams

The estate vineyard sits on the western edge of St. Helena at the foot of the Mayacamas mountains, and its Estate Cabernet Sauvignon carries the appellation St. Helena, Napa Valley. Alluvial clay loam from the Sulphur Creek fan provides drainage, while cool maritime breezes pass through the gap between Spring Mountain and the Mayacamas range. The Napa Wine Project describes the site as some of Napa Valley's most northerly bench-land, planted on an old alluvial fan. Its forty-two acres are planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon, with small blocks of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Sauvignon Blanc, and the vineyard is farmed as 24 individual blocks. The 1.07-acre Mary's Block, established in 2000 near Spring Creek, is named for Mary Weber Novak. Tony Soter introduced organic farming at Spottswoode in 1985, when he extended his role as winemaker into vineyard management. The vineyard received California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) certification in 1992. Spottswoode introduced biodynamic farming in 2008 and attained Demeter certification in 2020, and it achieved Silver level Regenerative Organic Certified status in 2023. In 2020 Spottswoode became the first winery in Napa Valley to achieve B Corp certification. The winery holds Napa Green Vineyard and Winery certifications, has supported 1% for the Planet since 2007, and in 2019 was one of the first six member wineries of International Wineries for Climate Action. Its energy needs are largely supplied by solar arrays.

• Appellation: St. Helena, Napa Valley; alluvial clay loam from the Sulphur Creek fan
• Planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon, with small blocks of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Sauvignon Blanc; 24 individual blocks
• Organic farming since 1985; CCOF certified 1992; biodynamic farming from 2008, Demeter certified 2020
• Regenerative Organic Certified, Silver level, 2023; first Napa Valley winery with B Corp certification (2020)

The winery's lineup comprises the Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, the Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc, and the Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon, plus three wines made exclusively for Top Spott! and Spott On! members: the Estate Sauvignon Blanc "Mary's Block", Field Book Rossi Vineyard, and Field Book Spring Creek Vineyard. The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon has been made since 1982; the 2023 is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, aged 20 months with 60% new oak. Lyndenhurst, named for the estate's name in 1908, premiered in 2005 with the 2002 vintage; it is a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from family-owned vineyards across the valley, with the Estate Vineyard as its base. The Sauvignon Blanc has been made since 1984 from the estate and other family-owned vineyards; the 2025 is 95% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Semillon, sourced 72% from Sonoma County and 28% from Napa County. Field Book Rossi Vineyard comes from a four-acre vineyard planted in 1905 along the estate's northwest border, which Spottswoode began farming in 2021. Field Book Spring Creek Vineyard comes from a neighboring vineyard of one hectare (2.2 acres) that Spottswoode took on under a long-term lease in 2016.

• Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: since 1982; 2023 aged 20 months with 60% new oak
• Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc: since 1984; 2025 is 95% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon
• Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon: Napa Valley; first release the 2002 vintage
• Members only: Estate Sauvignon Blanc "Mary's Block", Field Book Rossi Vineyard, Field Book Spring Creek Vineyard

The winery describes its aim as an elegant, balanced, and age-worthy style, and says its wines are especially known for refined elegance, balance, and classic structure. In the San Francisco Chronicle, Esther Mobley wrote: "Among all of Napa Valley’s great Cabernets, Spottswoode’s deserves a place in the uppermost tier of quality." She added that the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon achieves an equilibrium of concentration and elegance. The Napa Wine Project says the Cabernet Sauvignon wines age remarkably well and describes them as elegant, sophisticated, and well-balanced between fruit, acidity and structure. The Napa Wine Project also puts a large production year at around 10,000 cases.

• House style, in the winery's words: elegant, balanced, and age-worthy
• San Francisco Chronicle (Esther Mobley): places the Estate Cabernet in Napa Valley's uppermost tier of quality
• The Napa Wine Project: Cabernet Sauvignon wines that age remarkably well
• The Napa Wine Project: a large production year is around 10,000 cases

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://spottswoode.com/, https://spottswoode.com/estate-overview/, https://spottswoode.com/estate-overview/founder/, https://spottswoode.com/estate-overview/family-wine-estate/, https://spottswoode.com/estate-overview/organic-vineyard/, https://spottswoode.com/people/, https://spottswoode.com/spottswoode-wines/, https://spottswoode.com/spottswoode-wines/estate-cabernet-sauvignon/, https://spottswoode.com/spottswoode-wines/lyndenhurst-cabernet-sauvignon/, https://spottswoode.com/spottswoode-wines/sauvignon-blanc/, https://spottswoode.com/spottswoode-wines/estate-sauvignon-blanc-marys-block/, https://spottswoode.com/spottswoode-wines/field-book/, https://spottswoode.com/spottswoode-wines/field-book-spring-creek/, https://spottswoode.com/one-earth/. Secondary sources: https://www.napawineproject.com/spottswoode-estate-vineyard-winery/, https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/Spottswoode-a-Napa-Valley-treasure-for-Cabernet-15576249.php, https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/10/23/why-this-napa-valley-winery-ceo-recommends-embracing-change/. Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.