About La Jota Vineyard Co.
La Jota Vineyard Co. is a dedicated estate winery in the rugged, high-elevation Howell Mountain appellation above the Napa Valley fog, producing wines that reflect the character of volcanic, iron-rich soils and cool elevations that extend the growing season. Howell Mountain's most storied historic estate — first bonded in 1898 and rescued from abandonment by Bill Smith in 1974. The estate's commitment to quality viticulture and site-specific winemaking has earned La Jota Vineyard Co. a respected place among the region's most consistent and genuinely food-friendly producers.
The Howell Mountain growing environment shapes everything La Jota Vineyard Co. produces. Volcanic, iron-rich soils and cool elevations that extend the growing season define the estate's vineyard character, contributing the structure, natural acidity, and terroir specificity that distinguish the finest wines from this appellation. Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Merlot form the backbone of the portfolio, with each variety expressing a distinct facet of the estate's unique growing conditions. Winemaking at La Jota Vineyard Co. prioritizes transparency and balance over extraction, allowing the appellation's natural character to lead rather than winemaker intervention.
Visitors to La Jota Vineyard Co. can expect a genuine and unhurried tasting experience that reflects the estate's commitment to quality and hospitality. The tasting room provides an authentic introduction to the estate wines and the Howell Mountain appellation. Whether visiting for a focused flight or a deeper exploration of the estate's vineyard programs, La Jota Vineyard Co. offers the kind of direct producer experience that wine tourism in California wine country is built on — knowledgeable, welcoming, and genuinely connected to the land and the wines it produces.
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is the Howellis the Howell Mountain AVA's most historically rooted estate.
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The Las PosadasThe Las Posadas Road property was first bonded in 1898 — making it one of the oldest winery sites in Napa Valley — before Prohibition brought its original wine production to an end and decades of abandonment followed.
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Bill Smith's 1974Bill Smith's 1974 rescue of the derelict Howell Mountain estate began one of Napa Valley's most compelling winery restoration stories.
"Howell Mountain's most storied historic estate — first bonded in 1898 and rescued from abandonment by Bill Smith in 1974"
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Featured Wines
Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain / La Jota Estate
La Jota's volcanic mountain flagship from the 1898 historic estate — Howell Mountain Cabernet consistently earning 93–96 points for the concentrated basalt-volcanic mineral intensity and structural depth that 1,800-foot elevation farming above the fog line produces in this Bordeaux variety on the AVA's most historically continuous estate.
Cabernet Franc
Howell Mountain Cabernet Franc
Howell Mountain / La Jota Estate
La Jota's most distinctive and unusual expression — Howell Mountain estate Cabernet Franc from the 1898 historic volcanic basalt property showing the herbal, mineral, concentrated character that high-elevation Howell Mountain farming produces in this Bordeaux variety at one of California's most historically significant Cabernet Franc programs.
Merlot
Howell Mountain Merlot
Howell Mountain / La Jota Estate
La Jota's volcanic mountain Merlot — Howell Mountain estate expression showing the concentrated, structured character that the 1,800-foot volcanic basalt terrain above the fog line produces in this Bordeaux variety when Jackson Family Wines' La Jota mountain farming conviction guides every growing decision.
Cabernet Sauvignon
W.S. Keyes Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain / W.S. Keyes Vineyard
La Jota's single-vineyard mountain Cabernet — W.S. Keyes Vineyard Howell Mountain expression from the named estate's most carefully identified volcanic basalt block, showing the most concentrated and site-specific mountain character of the historic 1898 La Jota Howell Mountain volcanic estate program.
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Volcanic Mountain Appointment
Appointment at Howell Mountain's most historically continuous estate (bonded 1898) — estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc at 93–97 points from volcanic basalt terrain at 1,800 feet above the fog line. The most structurally intense and mountain-mineral Napa Valley Cabernet experience available by appointment.
$50
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