Levy & McClellan

Planted in 1999, Levy & McClellan is a project by Bob Levy, who has been at Harlan Estate since its beginning, and by Martha McClellan, who is winemaker for Sloan and Checkerboard. As humble servants of Mother Nature and caring stewards of the land, we are inspired by a shared passion and the unique character of our distinguished hillside vineyard. We are dedicated to making wines of uncompromised quality that offer the purest expression of their origin.

They bought a 6 acre lot in the Diamond Mountain area, and the case production for their 1st and 2nd vintages is 400 cases or less. Robert Parker gave their 1st vintage, the 2004 vintage a rating of 96-98 points, and their 2005 vintage a rating of 95-97 points. What a great way to start off. Their wines look to have excellent cellaring life. Their maximum estimated case production, given their current vineyard of 6 acres is around 500-600 cases at best. This is less then half the production of Harlan and about the same as Screaming Eagle. On average, Levy & McClellans case production will be less then that of Screaming Eagle. As of right now, there is no waiting list to get into Levy & McClellan. But, I will say this right now, given the great history of these 2 great winemakers, it will not take long for their list to fill up and a very long waiting list to form. The Wine Levy & McClellan produces the following wine varietals: Bordeaux Blend and Cabernet Franc.

Martha McClellan earned a degree in Oenology and Viticulture form Geisenheim University in Germany and then spent 10 years perfecting her winemaking skills in Germany, Australia, and the U.S. She joined Merryvale Vineyards as Assistant Winemaker in 1995 and while there began working for Harlan Estate as well, which recruited her in 1997. At Harlan, she made wines through the 2000 vintage before moving on to focus her talents and efforts on the now highly sought after wines of Sloan Estate in 2001.

There she oversees production all the way from the vineyard to the bottle. Martha uses 100 percent estate grapes to produce Sloan’s Proprietary Reds, which are made primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon. She also spent three years leading the winemaking and vineyards at Blankiet Estate, taking over the 2006, 2007, and 2008 vintages and bringing the winery into the realm of esteemed wines in Napa Valley. Martha was also responsible for the inaugural vintage at Checkerboard Vineyards, a boutique winery, in 2006 and continues to make its wines. She currently is the consulting winemaker at Harlan Estate and Hamel Family Wines. 

After years of practicing the skills of their shared passion at other venues, Martha McClellan and Robert Levy, her husband, combined their individual experiences in an independent endeavor of their own called Levy & McClellan. They and their three children live in St. Helena.