History
Built on the foundations of family, perseverance and determination, VIADER (pronounced Veeya Dare) thrives today as a multi-generational, internationally-recognized boutique Napa Valley first growth estate specializing in limitedproduction, mountain-grown Bordeaux-style blends.
Planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah and Petit Verdot at a steep, 32% slope, the 1200-ft elevation VIADER estate is a one-of-a-kind 92-acre vineyard parcel delivering low-yield, exceptional fruit reflective of VIADER’s unique Howell Mountain terroir. Favoring a softer, finesse-driven style focused on terroir, elegance and aromatics, as opposed to power and brawn, VIADER wines cater to the strengths of the estate’s rocky volcanic soils, western exposure and unique European-style vertical planting.
A trailblazer among the Napa Valley winemaking community, VIADER has been forging new frontiers since the winery’s inaugural Howell Mountain vineyard planting in 1986, which entailed a couple of sticks of dynamite, an unconventional vision and a nontraditional visionary: Delia Viader. As one of the first female winemakers in the Napa Valley, Delia Viader was also one of the first vintners in the region to plant her vines vertically up and down the hillside, as opposed to California’s typical horizontal terracing. And one of the first in Napa to tackle and successfully showcase Cabernet Franc as a deserving blending companion with Napa’s King, Cabernet Sauvignon.
For more than 30 years, Delia Viader’s pioneering spirit has lived up to the colloquial “dare” in VIADER – a spirit that continues to permeate throughout all facets of the family business. Born in Argentina and raised in Europe, Delia’s ambitions to pursue post-graduate education in California as a single mother of four resulted in an entrepreneurial venture that not even Delia could have predicted.
Enamored by the quiet, yet up and coming energy of the Napa Valley in the 80’s, it was along the steep, rocky volcanic slopes of Howell Mountain that Delia entertained the radical idea of pursuing her own vineyard. It was a small site hindered by large, almost impenetrable rocks that likely would have been passed over as too difficult to plant for years and even decades to come, if it weren’t for the foresight and determination of a young, driven woman from Europe who saw something special and her father who furnished the initial loan to lay down roots on this otherwise untouched Napa Valley mountainside.
While it did require several rounds of dynamite to handle some of the larger rocks, Delia’s vision, inspired by the Old World vineyards of Bordeaux that she remembered fondly from her travels in France, soon took shape with the groundbreaking release of the winery’s inaugural 1989 vintage of VIADER : a non-traditional Napa Valley Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon blend that would set the stage for future award-winning vintages to come.