About Black Sears Estate Winery
Black Sears Estate Winery sits at the very top of Howell Mountain, home to the highest vineyard on the mountain at roughly 2,400 feet, with panoramic views over two Napa Valley basins. It is a small, family-owned-and-operated vineyard and winery, farmed with a wild, site-driven, non-interventionist philosophy that its owners describe as an expression of Howell Mountain's untamed side.
The estate is best known for its dry-farmed, organically and biodynamically grown old-vine Zinfandel, a site so revered that other top producers have long clamored for its fruit, alongside estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and the Barbarous blend. The Sears family bottled their first vintage in 1988, and the property has since passed to the next generation, with acclaimed winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown crafting the wines. Production is tiny, around 700 cases, much of it reserved for members.
Visits are intimate and refreshingly unpretentious: a by-appointment experience that often means walking the property with a glass in hand, talking grapes, goats, and biodynamic farming with the family themselves. Reservations are required, and comfortable shoes are recommended over heels for the mountain terrain.
Dry-farmed, biodynamic old-vine Zinfandel from the highest estate on Howell Mountain.
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Wines change with each vintage
For an accurate list of current-release wines and library bottlings from Black Sears Estate Winery, please check the winery's official website or contact the tasting room directly. Offerings and current-release vintages rotate seasonally, so confirm availability with the winery.
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Garden & Cave Estate Tasting
A guided appointment through Black Sears Estate Winery's immaculate rose gardens and underground barrel caves followed by a seated tasting of estate Chardonnay and Reserve Cabernet, Napa Valley's most beautiful estate experience.
$75
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