Kelly Fleming Wines

When diverse backgrounds, sensibilities, and strengths come together, we can expect great things. From day one we have pursued partnerships with those who are passionate and skilled in what they do, possessing a deep respect for the vineyard and for the supporters who collect and enjoy our wines so ardently.

Kelly Fleming

A native of Oregon, Kelly came to wine with deep experience in fine restaurants, a love of farming, and a solid background in art and architecture. As a restaurateur she visited Napa Valley often, and in 1998 she purchased the 300-acre Calistoga property that would become Kelly Fleming Wines. Over the years she oversaw the development of the site’s 12-acre vineyard and the construction of caves and a winery, overcoming obstacles such as water scarcity, fire danger, red tape, and even a persistent wild bear. An avid gardener, beekeeper and animal lover – as comfortable with a forklift as an adding machine - Kelly has turned a precious piece of land into a Napa Valley oasis, a place where the wild and the tamed, the undeveloped and the cultivated, live comfortably side by side.

Rebecca George

Growing up in the Mojave Desert, Rebecca’s affinity for the natural world was stoked on long hikes with her father, who also instilled in her an appreciation of biology and botany.  After studying winemaking at both UC Davis and The University of Adelaide, Rebecca apprenticed in Burgundy and Australia’s Yarra Valley and spent several years at highly respected California wineries such as Marcassin, Williams Selyem and Schramsberg. Rebecca joined Kelly Fleming Wines in 2011 and has served as winemaker since 2013. Working closely with Vineyard Manager Mike Wolf and consulting winemaker Francoise Peschon, she applies a thoughtful, hands-on yet non-interventionist approach that reflects a respect for nature, farming and the vineyards with which she works.

Mike Wolf

For Mike, grape growing is not a series of events; it's a continuous process without beginning or end. With over thirty years of vineyard management experience in northern California, Mike farms grapes for some of Napa Valley's most prestigious vineyards and wineries, and his many career achievements earned him recognition as 2015 Grower of the Year by the Napa Grape Growers Association. An integral part of our team since 2012, Mike has taken a hands-on approach to fine-tuning our vineyard blocks, making adjustments in pruning, trellising, canopy management and irrigation to ensure full and even ripening and to expose and accentuate the different characteristics of each block.

"This vineyard is so different from the other sites we farm. Nothing else has that carved out of the forest feel. When I saw it, I knew it would make a unique wine."  — Mike Wolf, Vineyard Manager

Of the 300 acres that comprise our property in Calistoga, only twelve are planted to wine grapes: three blocks devoted almost entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon. Eight acres were planted in 1999; four were established six years later. The natural differences between these blocks – the varying elevations, soils, slopes and exposures – are accentuated by viticultural techniques tailored to each, including pruning, trellising and irrigation. Even within the blocks, the variations are such that our vineyard is picked in up to ten different lots, vinted and barrel aged separately in our cave. These blocks, and the lots that derive from them, give our winemaker the tools she needs to make a multi-faceted and compelling single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

"I decided that if I wanted to be serious about this I needed to have control from start to finish." — Kelly Fleming

Making wine was not part of our plan in the beginning. But when we recognized the quality of grapes that grew here, we knew they deserved to be shaped into a wine of their own. It was the right way to honor the property. We broke ground in 2005, digging 7000 square feet of caves 220 feet into the hillside. It was pure rock and took two years to complete. Looking at the exposed surface of the cave now, you can see what makes this site so special. The kaleidoscope of compressed soil types – white volcanic ash, red clay, black mineral – mirrors the complexity of the wine this land yields. In 2010 we crushed our first grapes at the winery, a handsome, two-story * stone structure with a fermentation room tailored to the output of the vineyard, a professional kitchen, and intimate indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces. In its understatement and timelessness, one can see Kelly’s artistic background and tasteful touch: a working winery that appears to have been here for generations.