Markham Vineyards

Jean Laurent leaves the Bordeaux region of France in 1852 to join the Gold Rush in California, a journey that leads him to establish one of the first wineries in Napa Valley. His Bordeaux upbringing molded him into a viticulture and winemaking purist, and he quickly discovers that the Napa soils are a natural home for the grapevine. Jean founds the winery in 1874 and — after finding success with his wines — builds the stone cellar in 1879 that remains the heart of Markham Vineyards today.

1855 – By the end of the century, Jean Laurent has become one of the largest producers of the California wine boom and is considered a major figure in Napa’s emerging wine industry. He is an early adopter of new technology, crush equipment and oak cooperage not common in California at this time.

1933 – Prohibition ends! The purported first drink in Napa Valley is celebrated by the Heitz family at the stone cellar.

1939 – The historic stone cellar is reborn under a new name: St. Helena Co-Operative Winery, which continues to operate as the fourth-oldest continually operating winery under this original bond number.

Bruce Markham is an Arizona businessman who finds himself with a pocketful of money in the late 1970s. He invests in 230 acres of vineyards across the Napa Valley, a craftsman-style bungalow home and Jean Laurent’s old stone cellar winery along Highway 29. Around the same time, the Napa Valley is gaining visibility in the wine world after a wine competition in Paris — now famously known as “The Judgment of Paris” — puts Napa Valley Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon on the map.

Bruce served in the US Navy and had a miniature cannon. The story goes that he would mark the start of each harvest by firing his cannon in the vineyards.

1977 – Markham Vineyards is born and Bryan Del Bondio is hired as the first employee.  

1978 – Cabernet from our Yountville Estate marks the first vintage of Markham Cabernet Sauvignon.

1980 – Our first vintage of Markham Merlot is produced, making Markham the fourth winery to produce Merlot in the Napa Valley.

1990 – Wine Spectator names the 1990 Markham vintage “Merlot of the Year.”

1993 – Kimberlee Nicholls is hired as an enologist.

1997 – Bryan Del Bondio is featured on the cover of Wine Spectator with our award-winning Merlot. Markham adds an additional 150 acres to our estate vineyards.

2001 – Kimberlee Nicholls is promoted to head winemaker, making her one of the first female head winemakers in Napa Valley.

Kimberlee Nicholls is a chemist full of energy and life with a long history in Napa and a deep love of Merlot. As one of the first female winemakers in the Napa Valley, her talent is highly respected. With over 30 years of winemaking experience — and 20 vintages as our winemaker — she continues to expand our portfolio and maintain our long tradition of making benchmark Bordeaux varietals. She is an integral part of Markham’s story and has greatly contributed to our countless accolades and enduring place as one of Napa Valley’s great wineries.

2010 – Our 311 acres of estate vineyards receive Napa Green Land Certification.

2013 – Markham Vineyards winery goes green and receives Napa Green Winery Certification.

2018 – Markham Napa Valley Vineyards celebrates 40 years of winemaking.

2019 – Bryan Del Bondio retires after 42 years with Markham Vineyards. To honor his time with us, we name a portion of our Yountville Estate vineyard as “Bryan’s Block”.

2020 – Markham estate vineyards receive names that honor our history:

Calistoga  |  Rockerbox Vineyard

Yountville  |  Yountville Ranch & Bryan’s Block

Yountville  |  Hopper House Vineyard

Oak Knoll  |  Little Cannon Vineyard

2020 – Our expanded portfolio launches, featuring new vineyard designated wines and Bordeaux blends with an updated label bearing our cannoneer illustration from our first vintage.

2020 – Winemaker Kim Nicholls celebrates her 20th vintage as Winemaker with Markham Napa Valley Vineyards.

Markham’s 260 acres of sustainably farmed estate vineyards and land span the Napa Valley from north to south. The diversity of soil, climate and terrain in our vineyards offer Winemaker Kimberlee Nicholls an extraordinary palette of flavor and texture at harvest time, adding depth and nuance to each and every Markham wine.

Rockerbox Vineyard sits at the foot of Mount Saint Helena, at the headwaters of the Napa River. Flanked by steep hillsides, the 60-acre vineyard is cradled in a natural canyon, surrounded by bay laurel, wild fennel and oak woodlands. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot root deeply in rocky, gravelly soils to produce intense blueberry and blackberry jam characteristics. 

Yountville Ranch – Yountville Ranch is Markham’s original and oldest vineyard, purchased by Bruce Markham in 1975. The vineyard’s lineage stretches back to 1879, when our stone cellar winery was built a few miles north of this historic Yountville site.

Originally planted more than 150 years ago, this legendary 78-acre vineyard sits along the southern edge of the Rutherford Bench in the Yountville District, the “beating heart” of Napa Valley. Ancient volcanic action along the western Mayacamas range created alluvial fans — deposits of clay, silt, sand and gravel — deep below the well-drained soils. Yountville Ranch offers exceptional terroir for classic Bordeaux varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

Hopper House Vineyard –  Adjacent to Yountville Ranch, our 15-acre Hopper House property is along the northwest edge of the Yountville District. Part of our Marked Parcel Series, Hopper House Merlot offers classic Napa Valley notes of dense, ripe cherry and briary blackberry. Everything we love about Merlot.

Little Cannon Vineyard – Our southernmost estate in Oak Knoll District, Little Cannon Vineyard includes 70 acres of Chardonnay, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. While the white grape varietals produce wines with tropical aromas and flavors, the Merlot grown here offers small berries and concentrated red berry flavors.