10.24 €
Total price 10.24 €
February is the last winter month before the onset of spring. The last quiet month that leads us to rest, to slow down and reflect on what plans await us this year. A great wine is perfect for relaxing and planning summer holidays. And for the month of February, we've chosen one of our iconic family-owned wineries. A winery that produces remarkable wines with a strong focus on quality and sustainability. If you get the chance, fire up the fireplace, get comfy and enjoy planning the summer months along with a glass of precisely balanced wine from family-owned winery Cakebread Cellars.
The story of the family winery Cakebread Cellars started to be written quite by accident. Jack Cakebread repaired cars and was also an avid freelance photographer. In 1972, while photographing for Nathan Chroman's book "Treasury of American Wines," he suggested to friends over lunch that they buy the Sturdivart Ranch in Rutherford. They bought the ranch, and soon thereafter the first Sauvignon Blanc was planted. In addition to fixing cars and photography, Jack was no stranger to farming, having previously worked on his father's ranch in Contra Costa County, where he grew almonds, peaches, apricots and walnuts. When a friend accepted his offer that same afternoon, Jack and Dolores used $2,500 from the photography book as a down payment. Jack continued to work in Cakebread's garage in Oakland while he and Dolores planted and tended grapes at the winery in the evenings and on weekends.
And so, in 1974, the Cakebreeds released their first wine, a 1973 Chardonnay. Two years later, the first Cabernet Sauvignon and the first vintage of Zinfandel were made. Jack and Dolores' son Bruce Cakebread joined the family business full-time as winemaker after graduating from the University of California, Davis in 1979. This created a legacy that will be carried on in the Cakebread family for generations.
In 1980, a new winery building designed by architect William Turnbull was constructed and received awards from the California Architectural Association in 1981, the East Bay Architectural Association in 1982, and the AIA Wood Council in 1983. Two years later, in 1982, Jack Cakebread purchased a neighboring 12-acre ranch where he planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc varieties. Then, in 1983, the winery began using state-of-the-art neutron probe technology to maximize vineyard efficiency.
A year later, Cakebread Cellars' wines began to be sold outside the U.S. in the U.K., Canada, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. The remodeling of the 100-year-old winery house created a state-of-the-art kitchen and comfortable guest accommodations.
In 1987, Cakebread Cellars hosted the American Harvest Workshop as a showcase of prominent chefs and artisan food purveyors from around the country. A year later, the American Harvest workshop became an annual fall event. It's one of the most important (and fun) dates on the Cakebread calendar.
In 1995, the vineyard land expanded with the purchase of a 60-acre former apple orchard in Anderson Valley near Boonville. The former apple orchard is an ideal base for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties. The winery expansion project was completed in 1997, when the Cakebreeds purchased the neighboring winery and vineyards. In 1998, the Cakebread's purchased 200 acres on Howell Mountain and began the development of these hillside vineyards into Dancing Bear Ranch. The first vintage of wine from Dancing Bear Ranch was then produced in 2002.
Three years later, the Cakebread family purchased the adjacent 1.7-acre McKay property and subsequently purchased the 27-acre Foster Road Vineyard (Carneros) and the 40-acre Maple Lane Vineyard (Calistoga). The next step in development is the purchase of Tinsley Ranch in Carneros, Cuttings Wharf Road Vineyard and Suscol Springs Ranch in southeast Napa, followed by Arroyo Creek Vineyard. Cakebread Cellars becomes the second winery to achieve Napa Green certification, a certification it still holds today.
Cakebread Cellars receives the California Green Medal Award for its commitment to sustainability in 2018. The winery's organic garden was also certified Bee Friendly. Suscol Mountain Vineyard was certified Fish Friendly in 2018 and all of the vineyards owned by Cakebread Cellars currently enjoy this certification.
A year later, the winery completed construction of a new eco-friendly visitor center and received the Robb Report 2020 Best of the Best award for wine tasting. Dancing Bear Ranch Winery was awarded 100 points from Wine Advocate magazine in 2016.
In 2020, Dolores and Jack celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary and both celebrated their 90th birthdays. Dolores passed away peacefully at the end of the year. Along with Culinary Director Brian Streeter, she created a beautiful garden on the property and published two cookbooks, The Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Cookbook and The Cakebread Cellars American Harvest Cookbook (also in collaboration with Janet Fletcher) featuring recipes and wine pairings from longtime winemakers. Her husband Jack then dies two years later, in April 2022.
Jack Cakebread bought his first 22-acre plot for growing grapes thanks to his $2,500 photography commission. Over the years, Cakebread Cellars has expanded the family's collection of vineyards throughout Napa Valley and Anderson Valley, totaling 16 vineyards or 1,600 acres, approximately 600 of which are planted to grapes. Each site is different and suited to different varietals. Some vineyards are cooler, others are warmer, running along the valley floor and steep slopes. The exceptional terroir then gives the wines a distinctive character, ensuring greater variety, complexity and unrivalled quality.
Dancing Bear Ranch is located high on the slopes of Howell Mountain in the northern part of Napa Valley, where the vines struggle with rocky and shallow soils. Elevations range from 1,450 to over 1,600 feet above sea level and offer nearly 360-degree exposure, providing a great diversity of growing conditions. This isolated vineyard is home to turkeys, cougars, bobcats and bears. To deter bears from the merlot grapes (their favourite variety), Dennis Cakebread once attached a motion detector to an alarm clock. It didn't work, but the resulting videos of bears in action inspired the name of the property and its signature wine. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc thrive here.
The flagship Cabernet Sauvignon is a full-bodied, structured wine with good ageing potential. It smells of ripe blackberries, dark plum and cassis liqueur. On the palate, intense, concentrated notes of blackberry, black cherry, raspberry, plum and chocolate are balanced by well-structured, ripe tannins and culminate in a very long, persistent finish highlighting dark berry, earthy spice and mineral notes. Aging in oak barrels adds depth and complexity to the wine.
With its proximity to San Pablo Bay, the Carneros appellation is the coolest in Napa Valley and ideal for growing premium Chardonnay. The five vineyard sites here offer cool, windy conditions and shallow clay soils that the variety loves and that support the refreshing acidity that characterizes Cakebread Chardonnay. Each vineyard tract is different, allowing you to enjoy the specific differences in the taste of Chardonnay.
The Cuttings Wharf Road vineyard is planted on a low ridge in the rolling Carneros plain, where the vines take root in shallow clay soils and six different high-quality French Chardonnay clones create a diverse varietal expression.
Tinsley Ranch is located in the southeastern part of the windy Carneros region of Napa Valley. The fertile Haire clay soil - typical of the area - and the long, cool growing season make this vineyard ranch ideal for developing bright, vibrant Napa Valley Chardonnays.
Milton Road Vineyard is located in the southern part of the Carneros appellation in Napa Valley. The wide variety of clonal plantings and varying ages of these vineyards help to achieve greater diversity of fruit. The Milton Road vineyard is also home to one of the hives from which we produce honey.
Foster Road Vineyard is the northernmost of the five Carneros vineyards, located right at the foot of the Napa Valley. The gently sloping hills, cool windy climate and clay soil yield quality wines of the Chardonnay variety.
Ahmann property is the 209 acre final property purchased in 2023, the largest acquisition of Napa vineyards in the family's history. This parcel is planted with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, two of the winery's key varieties.
Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay is rich, creamy, with balanced acidity. On the palate you will find ripe apple, white peaches and a light touch of oak with subtle hints of vanilla. Partial aging in oak barrels gives the wine complexity and finesse.
Sauvignon Blanc is a typically fresh, aromatic wine with notes of tropical fruit, citrus and herbs that develop into complex notes of green pear, freshly cut hay and stony minerality.
Suscol Ranches
Suscol Springs and Suscol Mountain vineyards are located in the Vaca Mountains, southeast of Napa, in close proximity to San Pablo Bay and its cooling influence. Suscol Springs Vineyards are planted amidst rocky outcroppings overlooking the valley floor, and the rocky, well-drained soils and cooler climate here give Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah wines balanced acidity and layers of complexity and depth of flavor.
Cakebread Cellars' Merlot is a bold, fruity, velvety wine with flavors of blackberry, plum and black cherry complemented by subtle spice and hints of mineral stone. Aging in oak barrels mellows the tannins and makes the flavors nicely balanced.
Suscol Mountain is one of the newer additions to the family's vineyards and is located directly above the Suscol Springs Vineyard. The high elevation, rocky soils and cooler climate result in fruit ripening later in the growing season, with small berries that are full of concentrated flavor and tannins.
Anderson Valley's vineyards, Annahala Ranch and Apple Barn, are located in former apple orchards on the banks of Anderson Creek north of Boonville, where conditions are best for Pinot Noir. These two ranches are planted with a wide variety of clones and rootstocks, providing diversity and complexity. Slight differences in climate (Annahala is closer to the coast and spends more time in fog, while Apple Barn receives longer stretches of sunlight) yield excellent Pinot Noir grapes with distinct expression from each location.
Excellent Pinot Noir is a legendary, delicate wine with beautiful acidity. Flavour notes of red berry fruit are complemented beautifully by forest undergrowth and spice. The wine's great structure is given by its ageing in oak barrels.
The three vineyards of Rutherford, Oakville and River Ranches are located adjacent to Cakebread Cellars Winery and include the original 22-acre Rutherford Ranch vineyard, purchased in 1972. Rutherford Ranch Vineyard surrounds the winery and is located between the Napa River and the Mayacamas Mountains. Oakville Ranch lies further south, in the Oakville appellation, and River Ranch stretches along the banks of the Napa River. All three wine ranches enjoy warm daytime temperatures and gravelly soil - ideal conditions for growing premium varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.
Doggwood Vineyard is planted near the crest of the eastern hills of the Napa Valley AVA, part of the Vaca Mountains. Gentle slopes in the bowl-shaped valley provide the vines with varied exposure, while the rocky soils force them to battle to advantage, resulting in concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
Hill Ranch is located in the western Napa Valley in the Rutherford area and surrounds the home of Jack and Dolores Cakebread. This small area of Rutherford Bench, with its gently sloping western foothills and gravelly bench soils, is considered one of the best Cabernet Sauvignon production sites in the world and is a major source of fruit for Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon.
Maple Lane Vineyard is located in the hills of the northern Napa Valley, just south of Calistoga near the Silverado Trail. The vineyards are rooted in well-drained, fertile valley floor soils where several wine varietals are prominent in this Calistoga AVA. This is also where the bees help us produce mouthwatering virgin honey.
Since the first vintage in 1973, Cakebread Cellars has strived to develop its values every day wherever possible: in the vineyards, in the winery itself, in the kitchen and in the tasting room. At Cakebread Cellars, they believe that a company's actions speak volumes about who they are and what they stand for.
Cakebread Cellars is a family winery and will remain a family winery. Jack and Dolores have always been responsible when it comes to caring for the environment and protecting the land for future generations. This is not the only reason why the winery boasts a number of quality, sustainability and environmental certifications. As mentioned, Cakebread Cellars was the second winery to be awarded the prestigious Napa Green certification. Other awards include Bee Friendly Farming, which recognizes farmers and wineries that actively support pollinator predation, especially bees. Farms and wineries certified as Bee Friendly Farming contribute to biodiversity, ecosystem conservation and sustainable agriculture.
Another award is the 2018 California Green Medal Business Award for innovative and effective sustainable business practices. The California Green Medal is a prestigious award given to California wineries for their exceptional sustainability efforts. The goal is to recognize wine producers who are actively concerned about the environment, community and economic responsibility. Then in 2023, they won the Community Award for their positive impact on the local community and fair treatment of employees.
Other awards include Fish Friendly Farming, which is a certification program aimed at protecting aquatic ecosystems and sustainable farming, especially in areas with vineyards. The program helps farmers and winemakers implement practices that protect rivers, streams and other water resources, thereby promoting a healthy environment for fish and other aquatic organisms.
Lastly, Cakebread Cellars was awarded Silver Member status in the IWCA (International Wineries for Climate Action) in 2022, which means the winery meets strict standards for measuring emissions and is actively working to reduce them. This confirms its commitment to sustainable winemaking and climate protection.
In practice, this means, for example, that the vineyard has a precise system of irrigation and subsequent mulching to avoid loss of evaporation during irrigation, not using herbicides and, if so, with a composition that does not harm fauna and flora, establishing corridors for wildlife, reducing water consumption through modern technology and monitoring, etc...
Taste Cakebread Cellars wine, a wine that tells a story of meticulous work, passion and a deep connection with nature. Producing top quality wines, caring for the vineyards, protecting nature, biodiversity and nurturing the community all make Cakebread Cellars one of the top wineries exceeding the expectations and demands of the modern wine world.
12.2.2025