Seavey Merlot 1998

In the 1870s – when Conn Valley Road was little more than a wagon trail – the land which we now farm was planted with grapes to make a “Claret of high repute.” This wine was judged by the St. Helena Star to be “as fine as one might find anywhere.” Commonly known as the Franco-Swiss Farming Company, this was the pioneering vineyard and winemaking operation of Conn Valley. After roughly thirty years of producing great wines, the company dissolved due to the impact of a phylloxera infestation and Prohibition. For more than a half century, cattle roamed the land and grain was farmed but no more grapes were cultivated until Bill and Mary Seavey acquired the land in 1979. Bill and Mary set out to revive the original vineyard, planting the south-facing hillsides of Conn Valley near Lake Hennessey. By 1990, we had remodeled an 1881 stone dairy barn into a small winery and began producing small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Small blocks of Merlot and Petit Verdot were also added along with a second winery building which includes an underground wine cave.