THE GRADE Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Our Story
Fast forward to 1985. Enter Brenda and Tom. We meet on a blind date and delightfully discover we had much in common – a passion for food, fun, wine and margaritas, a spontaneous outlook on life’s opportunities and an ethic for hard work. The real estate we eventually picked up together along the way is testimony to all those tendencies! Yet, it was still a surprise to friends and family when we announced we were moving from Greater New York City to take on the stewardship of a piece of that Calistoga earth…

Fast forward again to 1996. Now the story begins. We both visited Napa Valley in the mid-nineties during coinciding business trips from the East Coast and began our dream of it being our retirement terroir. Within two years, we accelerated that timetable, took the leap and purchased a 32-acre ranch outside Calistoga that included an old vineyard which came to be called Winfield Vineyard. Thus began our trade of the intense experiences of the East Coast for the lifestyle of Napa Valley – not that the intensity disappeared! It was neither retirement nor retrenchment, but rearrangement of our life goals to pour the wine industry on top of everything else we were doing. Talk about Thelma and Louise! Today’s technology has allowed us to maintain our Type A personalities in this paradise setting – Tom is an architect, still practicing and passionate about his work, and Brenda has made a career in the investment world. We’ve never looked back.

Our initial goal was to grow the best quality fruit our Calistoga earth could produce. In 2000 we replanted the vineyard into five distinctive Cabernet blocks and began selling fruit to some of Napa’s finest wineries. (more…)

The years have flown by, and with Stevenson as our muse, (Tom is now on the Board of the Stevenson Museum in St. Helena), we have continued pursuing our goal to produce the best fruit possible from Winfield Vineyard. The vineyard has reached a level of maturity that produces wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon fruit, cultivated by hand and watched over by the viticulturalist, vineyard manager, our winemaker and ourselves. We are blessed to be working with Thomas Rivers Brown as our winemaker who also recognizes Winfield’s potential. Mother Nature also sits at our table and, as our silent partner, keeps us vigilant as we meet her challenges in each growing season. Winfield Vineyard is the genesis of our vineyard-driven wines.

Winemaker
Napa Valley is home to many exceptional winemakers. Then there’s Thomas Rivers Brown. Thomas joined THE GRADE Cellars at the end of the 2011 harvest and has brought an exciting new palate and keen vineyard perception to our wine program. He may be known locally as a gentleman with abundant southern charm and a wonderful family, but he is acclaimed internationally for his extraordinary wines.

Thomas is one of the most exciting talents in winemaking today. Born in Sumter, South Carolina, Thomas developed an interest in wine while attending the University of Virginia. He worked the 1997 harvest for Kent Rasmussen before becoming an assistant winemaker for Ehren Jordan, winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars and consultant to a number of other high profile California wineries.

In addition to THE GRADE Cellars wines which he makes for us at Sundance Ranch in Calistoga, TRB consults for Outpost, Maybach, Schrader, Revana in addition to his own Pinot Noir project, Rivers-Marie wine. When asked what differentiates these brands, he responds, “I can’t really define it, but I know it when I taste it.”

In October 2008, Thomas made history as the youngest winemaker to score not just one, but two perfect "100 point" ratings from Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate, for the 2006 Schrader "Old Sparky" and 2006 Schrader CCS Cabernet Sauvignons. In the 30-year history of The Wine Advocate, this is the first time two Cabernets from the same producer in the same vintage have received two perfect ratings.

Thomas is an avid sportsman who enjoys cycling, volleyball, and taking curves at speed in his Aston Martin Rapide.