Elkhorn Peak Cellars

Cantina e Vini

Have you ever wondered where wineries get their names? Usually, and there are always alot of exceptions, the name is a "family" name or a geographic name. Elkhorn Peak is named after the Elkhorn Peak Mountain. At 1336' Elkhorn Peak is the tallest mountain in Jamieson Canyon and is located directly behind our vineyards. The name, as told to me by the "old timers," resulted from Elks being common to this beautiful mountain range many years ago. Located in South Napa's Jamieson Canyon, Elkhorn Peak Cellars Estate vineyards is where all our Pinot Noir grapes are grown. The name of the vineyard is Fagan Creek Vineyard. This was the first vineyard in Jamieson Canyon and was planted in 1983. This hillside vineyard is South facing and has views of the San Pablo and San Francisco Bays. With cool and foggy influences from this marine environment, this is a perfect area to grow world class Pinot Noir grapes.

Our oldest vines are seventeen years old. (Everything was replanted in the 1990's because of Phylloxera.) We are growing seven different clones (types) of Pinot Noir. The vines are all cordon trained with vertical shoot positioning and are all drip irrigated. With production levels at two tons per acre, the focus is quality over quantity. The vineyards are worked and managed by co-owner Ken Nerlove.