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In
the early 1870’s, the Franco-Swiss Farming Co.
was established along a lovely stream, which flowed
down the center of Conn Valley, an eastern spur of
the Napa Valley. Grapes were grown on the South facing
hillsides, and a stone winery and distillery building
were built next to the wagon trail that is now Conn
Valley Road. A handsome stone dairy barn was constructed
in 1881, the same year that the stone foundations
were laid for the bridge across Conn Creek. Those
foundations today continue to support the bridge across
Conn Creek.
Seavey Vineyard History
In
1979, after a long period as a horse and cattle ranch,
the original acres east of Conn Creek were purchased
by William and Mary Seavey, who began to replant the
vineyard. Initially, the planting and managing of
the vineyard was sub-contracted by the Seavey’s
to Roy Raymond, Jr., and all of the grapes were sold
to Raymond Vineyards.
In
1989, the Seavey’s renovated the original stone
dairy barn as their winery, and in 1990 began to make
Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay under the Seavey
Vineyard label, adding Merlot in 1994. The success
of their early vintages encouraged them to expand
production, especially of Cabernet Sauvignon, and
required construction of a second winery building
in 2000.
In
2003, the Seavey's installed one of the first solar
energy systems used by a Napa Valley winery. The project
eliminates 24,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions
annually. The Seavey’s practice old world grape
growing techniques while utilizing modern technology.
In
addition to grapes, the Seavey’s raise a small
number of beef cattle, whose primary function is to
keep the grass down on the 200 acre property. They
also provide a welcome source of organic beef for
family and friends.
SEAVEY
FAMILY
William Seavey is a native Californian, born in Los
Angeles. He met his wife, Mary, when he was at Harvard
Law School and she was at Radcliffe. They lived in
Coronado, CA and Geneva, Switzerland before moving
to the Bay Area in 1968.
After
10 years of searching for the perfect Napa Valley
property, they bought the present Seavey Vineyard
from an old family friend in 1979.
While
William continued his San Francisco law practice,
the family set about to restore the property and replant
the vineyard. Their 4 sons spent high school and college
vacations working at the vineyard, and even their
daughter brought her 2 daughters from Boston to help
out from time to time.
Now,
William and Mary live on the property, and their 5
children still come to help whenever they can.
The
Seavey’s began planting their 40 acre vineyard
in 1981 under the management of Roy Raymond, Jr.,
and Raymond Vineyards bought all the grapes until
1990, when the Seavey’s made the first vintage
of their own Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. In
1994, they produced the first vintage of their Merlot,
and in 1999, added a second Cabernet, the Caravina.
All of these wines are estate produced at Seavey Vineyard.
The
vineyard consists of more than 20 small, primarily
southeast facing hillside blocks and has a 400 foot
vertical rise. Rootstock and clone are selected to
maximize the potential of each individual block, and
trellising and pruning are adapted accordingly. Vineyard
manager Mario Gutierrez' 24 year association with
Seavey vineyard allows him to understand the needs
of each vine.
The
same high level of care given in the vineyard continues
at harvest and in the winemaking process. Grapes are
handpicked at the prime level of ripeness and richness
and transported to the winery in the baskets within
30 minutes of picking. The red grapes are hand sorted
and destemmed before being gently lifted into small
tanks for fermentation. The wine then ages for 18
to 19 months in French oak barrels, 35-50% new, until
it is bottled on site. Only then does it leave the
property.
Winemaker
Consultant Philippe Melka has been with Seavey since
1995. A graduate of the University of Bordeaux, he holds
degrees both in enology and geology with a specialization
in terroirs and clones. Before joining Seavey he worked
at a number of well-known wineries in France, Italy,
and California.
His
advice has been valuable in the vineyard as well as
in the winery, where he strives to produce a perfectly
integrated wine with classic structure, balance and
elegance. He treats his wines gently and controls
the amount of oak, so that the fruit flavors will
not be lost. In addition to viticulture, his favorite
hobby is surfing. Philippe, Bill Seavey and winemaker
Matthew Reid work very hard to find the best possible
blends of wines from the separate harvest lots. Matthew
joined Seavey in 2004.
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