Bourassa Vineyards

About Winery and Wines

The turning point for Vic Bourassa, proprietor of Bourassa Vineyards in the Napa Valley, occurred over a lunch he had in 1999 with the godfather of California wine, Robert Mondavi. By that time Bourassa, who had moved to the Valley permanently three years before and had entered a second professional career in real estate development, was already a committed home winemaker. The chance to talk about wine with one of the most influential winery figures in the world was to be savored and appreciated. At some point during that memorable lunch Bourassa uncorked a bottle of his own homemade Napa Valley Pinot Noir and, after a few evidently pleasurable sips, Mondavi began to encourage the novice winemaker to enter the winemaking field as a professional. It was at that very moment that Bourassa Vineyards was born. The first wine produced under the Bourassa Vineyards label was a traditional Bordeaux blend called Harmony3. It received tremendous attention from both consumers and the media alike. The total production of 400 cases sold out very quickly, and Bourassa Vineyards was on its way. An award winning Napa Valley Zinfandel and Syrah followed the Harmony3 bottling, and on it went without pause. Today, with a total production of 3,500 cases, Vic, along with wife Kathy, devote much of the winery's attention to the five Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Additionally, Bourassa produces a Port made using the Solera system; a system that uses fractional blending in such a way that the finished port is a mixture of ages with the average age of the port gradually increasing.