The Stanton family has been growing and selling grapes in the Napa
Valley since 1947, when Jesse Stanton purchased his first parcel, a 100
acre vineyard in Yountville. Now, more than 50 years later, his
grandson, Doug Stanton, along with Doug’s father, John, continue to
personally cultivate and tend their three Napa Valley vineyards: one in
Oakville and two in St. Helena – all in renowned viticulture centers.
They currently grow seven different red-wine varieties which include: Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit
Verdot, Malbec, Petite Sirah and Mourvedre.
"We farm the land ourselves. And because we don’t outsource to vineyard
management companies, we are able to react to situations quickly like
no other farming entity could," according to Doug.
The exceptional fruit they cultivate is sought by some of the most
prominent wineries in the region, including Stags Leap, Merryvale,
Whitehall Lane, Orin Swift, Lang & Reed, and Groth.
"We'd been hearing great things about our fruit and it just made sense
to make our own wine," explains Doug regarding the decision to launch
their own vineyard label in 1999. They set aside a couple of rows of
their best producing Cabernet Sauvignon vines from their Oakville
property and crafted their first small production vintage of Cabernet
Sauvignon.
In 2002, acclaimed winemaker Dave Phinney joined the Stanton team,
lending his talented hands to the '02 vintage, creating a wine that
quickly captured the attention of critics and wine aficionados.
A fan of Petite Sirahs, Doug decided to dedicate some of their Petite
Sirah production to introduce their first vintage in 2004. Stanton
Vineyards remains, and will remain, a boutique winery, producing about
800 cases total (625 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and 180 cases Petite
Sirah) under their Stanton Vineyard label. This small production, which
accounts for less than 7% of the grapes grown on their properties,
allows them to focus on producing both grapes and wine of great
character.
