Vineyard 29

Vineyard 29 is a producer making some of Napa Valley's cult wines. It was founded by Teresa Norton and Tom Paine in 1989, who planted a 3-acre vineyard on their Saint Helena property, and named it for their address – 2929 on Napa's Highway 29. The winery is known for its wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon and old-vine Zinfandel from the Aida vineyard.

Vineyard 29's first vintage was in 1992, and was made at Grace Family Vineyards by Gary Galleron. In 1995, Heidi Barrett came on as winemaker and, in 1999, Philippe Melka took the reins. In 2000, Chuck and Anne McMinn bought the winery, and added the Aida Vineyard to the portfolio, as well as building a new state-of-the-art winery. Everything from temperature to humidity is monitored by computer, and moisture probes were installed in the vineyards to measure when and how much to water the vines.

The estate and Aida properties benefit from hillside locations with excellent drainage, putting just enough stress on the vines to produce complex and intense fruit. The estate vineyard produces a Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, while the Aida estate wines include a Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and a late-harvest Zinfandel. The Estate and Aida wines are labelled separately, and are considered companion labels, rather than one being higher quality than the other.

Recently, Vineyard 29 created a Cru portfolio, featuring a Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc from other Napa properties, as well as a Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley. These are made in a more approachable style than the flagship wines.