Schramsberg

Starting with President Nixon’s Toast to Peace with China in 1972 to President Donald Trump’s White House Governors’ Dinner in early 2017, every presidential administration has served Schramsberg’s sparkling wines during official functions.

In 1826, in the small town of Pfeddersheim Germany, along the Rhine River, Jacob Schram was born. He came from a winemaking family. When he was sixteen, the young Schram immigrated to New York. He was educated in the trade of barbering, and in 1852 sailed across the Caribbean, crossed-over the Panama Isthmus, and continued up to San Francisco. He spent the next several years barbering, eventually moving his way north, to the Napa Valley.

In 1859 he married Annie Christine Weaver, also from Germany, and they started a family. For several years he continued to barber full time. Never far from his thoughts were his homeland and his roots in the vinelands of Germany. In 1862, Jacob purchased a large piece of land on the mountainsides of the Napa Valley. He was going to be a part of the emerging efforts by many fellow German countrymen in the Napa Valley to make wine; thus Schramsberg was born.

They began to clear the wooded and wild land, building a rustic cabin to shelter them from the weather. They planted European varietals, and began to produce wine. Jacob remained a barber to supplement his income, while the work at Schramsberg continued. After fully realizing the summer heat in the area, he hired Chinese workers to help him dig his cool underground cellars. Annie was often left in charge of the hired hands as Jacob visited fellow vintners in the valley, and took on the role of salesman both near and far.

By 1876 his production was up to 12,000 gallons. From this small start, the winery and vineyards continued to grow until they had fifty acres of bearing vines and were producing upwards of 12,000 cases per year. He was shipping his Riesling, Hock, Burgundy and Chasselas to New York and beyond. His wines were winning awards at American and International competitions.

As they continued to prosper, the Schrams had a lavish Victorian built to replace the original cabin. A shipbuilder and his team were hired for the construction, and small pegs were used in place of the more modern nail. The house became a gathering spot for the many friends and colleagues the Schram's had become familiar with. The Schram house is still lived in to this day, and retains its spirit of hospitality.

In the fall of 1900 Annie was stricken with paralysis and went steadily downhill until she died in the summer of 1901. The 75-year-old Jacob continued running the business, with his son Herman, until the spring of 1905, when he took ill. He quickly worsened and died. The St. Helena Star wrote that, "His funeral was largely attended and extended the length of Spring Street, and his body was laid to rest beside his wife Annie in the marble city." Although Herman attempted to continue the business, phylloxera and Prohibition brought an end to the Schram era.

Herman sold the property to Sterling Investment Company, who in 1916 sold it to a wealthy San Francisco contractor, W. J. McKillop for use as a summer home. He later sold it to a Captain Raymond C. Naylor. Following him, John Gargano purchased the property in 1940. Gargano was a mysterious character somehow connected to bootlegging activity. In 1951, he sold the property to Douglas Pringle.

Mrs. Pringle was the legendary Grande Dame, Katharine Cebrian. In 1957, the winery was named a state historical landmark. The Pringles threw a lavish party with movie stars and glamorous girls circulating in a crowd of over 500 people. Katherine Cebrian divorced Douglas Pringle in 1959 and moved back to San Francisco. She sold the property to Jack and Jamie Davies in 1965. And thus, Schramsberg entered the modern era.

J. Davies Diamond Mountain District

The J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon is produced from the historic hillside vineyards on the Schramsberg estate. Ranging from approximately 500 to 1,000 feet in elevation, these are the southernmost vineyards in the Diamond Mountain District AVA and are flanked by two cool creek canyons. Surrounded by dense coniferous and deciduous forests, the vines produce late-ripening, richly concentrated fruit with yields of only two tons per acre.

Sparkling Wine Vineyard Diversity

Schramsberg sparkling wines are produced from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes grown in a broad array of cool-climate North Coast vineyards, located in Napa, Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin counties. The winemakers draw from more than 90 individual vineyards to create over 200 base wines each year. These wines are then artfully blended to create Schramsberg’s distinctive sparkling wines.

More than 80 cool-climate vineyard sites in Carneros, Anderson Valley, and the Sonoma and Marin coastal areas are managed each year to achieve the best possible fruit for our sparkling wines. Hand-picking, early-morning harvesting, and light pressing are critical. Small amounts of select Chardonnay are included in the blend to lend additional backbone and length to the palate. Distinct barrel and malolactic fermentation lots are layered in to provide viscosity and depth. Extensive tasting is conducted over the winter months, with as many as 200 base wines being taken into consideration. Following bottle Fermentation, each bottle is aged in contact with its own yeast in our historic Diamond Mountain hillside caves for a minimum of nearly five years. The finishing dosage is the result of comprehensive trials to fine-tune balance of flavor and acidity.

When Jack and Jamie Davies purchased the property that once belonged to Jacob Schram they had a choice. In fact, they had a lot of choices. They could tear down the old house and build something modern, they could clear more of the trees to make room for additional vineyards, or they could fashion a state-of-the-art winery facility.

From the beginning Jack and Jamie chose to preserve what was already there. They retained the name of Schramsberg Vineyards to honor its founder. They restored the ancient homestead and raised their family in the house that Schram built. They kept the original barn and made their wine in the crumbling old cellar, utilizing the underground caves that were dug in the late 1800s for bottle aging. They retained 155 acres of forested land using only 43 acres for vineyards. Eventually, a newer winery was built to supplement the old one, and great care was taken to utilize the original cellars and honor the charm of its historical design in the progress. At Schramsberg, preservation has always been an integral part of the plan. In 1957, Schramsberg was named a historical landmark, and has been put on the list of registered historic sites.

Schramsberg has also been recognized and awarded for the efforts taken to preserve the house and other historical buildings on the property. In 1967 Jack Davies served as chairman of a citizen committee formed to support the creation of the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve. His tireless efforts to support agricultural land preservation helped shaped the heart of Napa’s wine industry. To carry on his legacy, the Davies family established the Jack L Davies Fund to advance his work. The fund underwrites research and education towards the preservation and sustainability of agricultural lands for years to come. To support this effort, Schramsberg Querencia Rosé was created, with a portion of the proceeds from its sales benefitting the JLD Fund.

Today, Hugh Davies and the current Schramsberg team continue the tradition adopted by Jack & Jamie, and take it a step
further with a solid set of practices and policies that ensures conservation and stewardship of the land.