2010 V Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon

St. Helena, Napa Valley, California

About the producer:
Chris and Pauline Tilley founded V Madrone Cellars in St. Helena, California at the site of a preprohibition winery (also known as a “ghost” winery) whose foundation was originally laid in 1887 and then shuttered before the onset of Prohibition in 1920. Though continuing a long-term restoration of the buildings on the V Madrone campus, the Tilleys opened a tasting room after the completion of the first phase in December 2008.

In 2001, Chris and Pauline planted a 3.5 acre estate Cabernet vineyard adjoining the winery and released their very first vintage, V Madrone Estate Cabernet Sauvignon in 2004. The vineyard is situated on a slope just west of Highway 29 in the St. Helena appellation approximately two miles north of the Town of St. Helena and along a narrow bench of land that is home to several prestigious vineyards and wineries. V Madrone produces 1,200-1,400 cases of wine per year, half of which is Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

Chris, born and raised in Napa Valley, had always dreamed of being a “farmer.” He spent 28 years in the property casualty insurance business in New York, where he met his wife, Pauline. An attorney who had spent 25 years on Wall Street and other financial guaranty insurance firms practicing public finance law, Pauline, native to Dublin, Ireland left the east coast with Chris and headed to Napa in 2008. Before they knew it, they were full time “vintners” and haven’t looked back!