There are fashions in cars, clothes and cosmetics. And there are fashions in wine, even in the popularity of wineries to visit. When we first started visiting Napa Valley, there were not nearly as many wineries as there are today. And not all of them were open for tasting. The top attractions were names like Mondavi, Chandon and Heitz. Small, out-of-the-way wineries were barely talked of.
The view from Storybook Mountain winery. Photo courtesy of NapaValley.com
But those in the know, mostly West Coast friends would tell us, “If you get as far as Calistoga, you must go to Storybook Mountain winery”. Frankly, it sounded more like a ride at Disneyland than a winery. So we went and we liked it very much. It is hard to call Storybook a forgotten winery, especially since they have been making wine there since 1883. But people no longer whisper its name anymore, so we will speak of it, out loud.
Storybook isn’t exactly off the beaten path, but it is at the northern end of it, four miles north of Calistoga. Go only a little further and you’re in Knight’s Valley. It’s way up in the hills, perhaps why it’s not so well known these days.
The name of the winery is a story in itself. It was started by a German immigrant named Adam Grimm, who was soon joined by his brother Jacob. So: the Brothers Grimm, hence the storybook. Their label is a fox trying to reach up to some grapes, which is an Aesop fable not a Grimm fairytale. But you get the idea.
The ancient caves at Storybook Mountain. Photo courtesy of Crafted Brands.
After Prohibition, the winery was abandoned until a scholar named Jerry Seps bought it in 1976. From the outset, they planted Zinfandel and that’s the grape used in the wines for which Storybook is best known. They make four of them plus a Zin rosé. They also have a Cabernet Sauvignon and a single white wine, a Viogner.
One of the great attractions in visiting Storybook is the beauty of the place. All visits include a tour and a tasting. The caves survived from the times of the Grimm brothers. The land is surrounded by a redwood grove, which is part of the tour. The views from Storybook – it is a mountain – are ravishing.
Come to Storybook for the wine and the views, but also appreciate the history. It isn’t only that the land was producing wine grapes for over 100 years. This vineyard has roots (pun intended) in Europe but also in the revolution in American winemaking that began in Napa Valley in the 1960’s and 70’s. They served Cabernet Sauvignon at that famous taste-off in Paris in 1976, so Storybook couldn’t have been there. But they have had their wines served at White House dinners and they were among the first, along with Ridge and Trefethen, to see the potential in the Zinfandel grape for wine greatness.
So take the tour, enjoy the views and sip the wines, knowing that you are partaking in a story (also intended) that goes back deep into Napa Valley’s past.