Château Boswell Winery

Château Boswell Winery is one of northern Napa Valley’s picturesque estates; the winery was founded by Los Angeles born Richard Thornton Boswell (RT for short, died in 2014), a dentist and lover of outdoor adventure who practiced dentistry in Laguna Beach. In the 1970s, he began investing in real estate and in 1974 purchased 10 acres of land in the lower foothills of the Vaca mountains northeast of the town of St. Helena. This property became the home of Château Boswell Winery (built in 1982). Their first commercial release was merely several hundred cases of from the 1979 vintage. The early releases from Château Boswell were sold direct to consumer, differing from many wineries at the time who sold their wines through distribution. We maintain a list of Napa Valley based wineries or producers who are still in business who have been producing wines commercially since 1979 or prior. This list continues to evolve as we discover additional information; for reference, it is available here.

Note: in 2020, tragically Château Boswell burned in the Glass Fire; they were one of the very early winery casualties from that particular fire. And it wasn’t only the winery building and house that burned to the ground, Château Boswell lost nearly all their old library wines due to heat damaging the bottles during the fire.

As of our latest update to this review, the winery is currently under construction with a target date of completion during the first quarter of 2025. The production area features a large skylight to allow for extra natural lighting and a twenty foot glass window to observe cellar activities from outside. Production moved into their cave for the 2021 through 2024 harvests. Château Boswell continues to hosts guests for tastings and tours, utilizing spaces inside their cave.

André Tchelistcheff was their founding winemaker; he was instrumental in the layout and clonal choices for the original plantings of their estate vineyard. Arguably André was one of Napa Valley’s most influential and well-respected winemakers. Born in Moscow his family fled the Russian Revolution of 1917 to Kiev. Later André joined the White Army and fought in the Russian Civil War on the Crimean Peninsula. At one point his unit came under machine gun fire and André was left for dead,; his father even held a funeral for him.

Eventually his family moved to France where he met Georges de Latour who was looking for a new winemaker for Beaulieu Vineyard. André agreed to come to the Napa Valley and arrived in 1938. He stayed with Beaulieu Vineyard for some 35 years before ‘retiring’ in 1973. However, his career didn’t end then – he continued to significantly contribute to the local wine industry as a winemaker and soils expert and one of his numerous clients was Château Boswell Winery.

In its natural state, much of the rugged hillside property is forested (although many trees burned in the Glass Fire). The estate vineyard is 3.2 acres and prior to the Glass Fire was planted to 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc. A small 1/4 section of Cabernet Sauvignon survived the Glass Fire while the remaining sections have been/are being replanted over time, entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon. The first vintage from the estate post Glass Fire was in 2023, merely a single barrel of wine.

Despite the diminutive size of their estate vineyard, it features a diversity of soils including volcanic ash, volcanic based red soil as well as rocky obsidian – all good soils for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. Nearby Glass Mountain is riddled with black shiny obsidian rock – a stone that was commonly used by Native Americans for hunting. Part of their vineyard is strewn with these sharp pieces of volcanic black stones.

Thornton was interested in developing the site as a real estate investment with the intent to eventually sell the property, but his wife Susan offered to help grow the brand and take their winery operations to the next level. She has certainly done so in the ensuing years. She oversaw the construction of a 11,000 square foot cave tunneled into the hillside from 2008 until its completion in 2010. The main entrance and exit portal of the cave is where drilling commenced. The cave ranges from approximately 25 to 65 feet below the surface and varies in height between 18 to 20 feet.

The floor leading into the cave features an obsidian inlay using stones from the property. The wine cave is functional yet at the same time aesthetically pleasing. Much of the cave was tunneled through volcanic rock and a number of sections are left exposed to this bare rock. The property features plenty of water with some 25+ springs seeping through parts of the cave; this is a beneficial feature for helping moderate humidity year round.

One cave tunnel connects with the production part of the winery; all the crush and fermentation takes place indoors. Older vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignon are stored in the small cave grottoes. During the tunneling, two large boulders fell down from one of the ceilings leaving a most unusual concave formation.

The formal and elegant tasting room is located on the upper level of the cave, however guests will sometimes taste within one of the lower cave grottoes. Visits to Château Boswell Winery are for serious wine enthusiasts and are never meant to be rushed. Their philosophy is to get to know their customers; as a result, a tasting is always private and highly personable featuring select current release wines with at least one older bottling available to try.

Château Boswell used to house winemaking for various smaller brands who did not own their own physical wineries; today the production facility is entirely for their own wines. Arietta was the last brand to move their winemaking operations. Past winemakers have included Luc Morlet and Russell Bevan; today their lead winemaker is Allison Nunnikhoven with Philippe Melka as the consulting winemaker, whose own winery is located slightly south of Château Boswell.

Any winery that has been producing since the 1970s in Napa Valley and is still owned by the same family is in a select group. They are crafting distinctive yet always elegant and always inspired wines from carefully picked vineyard sites. They are certainly not a newcomer to Napa Valley but have always quietly kept a bit under the radar, allowing the quality of the wines to present themselves.

Select Wines
There are numerous Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers in Napa Valley but a much smaller number who specialize in high-end bottlings from these varieties. Château Boswell focuses on premium hand-crafted and limited-production Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon with their grapes coming from the Sonoma Coast, Santa Rita Hills and Napa Valley.

Here is an example of their unwavering focus to using only the highest quality fruit: one vintage of Chardonnay yielded 41 barrels. After completing blending trials their winemaking team elected to use only 8 of these barrels for their bottled wine. This common thread of significantly elevating quality over quantity is an important part of their overall winemaking ethos for both their white and red wines.

Some of the vineyards they source from have been planted specifically upon their request. All their white wines are barrel fermented with non-indigenous yeast used for the primary fermentation. Each of their Chardonnay wines are sourced from premium vineyards in Sonoma County including the well-known Russian River region as well as other Sonoma County coastal areas. And their Pinot Noir comes from much further to the south – the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County.

Whites
Starting in 2016, Château Boswell began producing sparkling wine using the Méthode Traditionnelle. Susan Boswell traveled to Reims and other parts of Champagne visiting a number of producers. In talking to owners and winemakers she learned that some of the producers highly favored bottling their Champagne in magnums. She brought this idea back to Château Boswell; all their sparkling wines are only bottled as magnums. She hired former Schramsberg winemaker Keith Hock to oversee their sparkling wines. Unfortunately the early vintages were lost in the Glass Fire. They continue to produce sparkling wine, primarily Chardonnay with the wines spending 3-5 years in bottle prior to being released. And so far all their sparkling wines have been non vintage.

The 2023 Château Boswell Hallberg Vineyard Rosé Russian River Valley is made from Pinot Noir (farmed by Dutton Ranch). They harvest this wine early keeping sugar levels low. The alcohol is only 12.3% alcohol. This wine is pale copper in color; the bouquet smells minerally with additional aromas of grapefruit, lime zest, orange blossom, wild strawberry and raspberry. More fleshy texturally than we would have guessed prior to tasting this wine; the mouth feel is complemented nicely by a brightness of fruits, with flavors of white peach, ruby grapefruit, pomelo, light raspberry and strawberry. The finish lingers with a very subtle hint of tarragon; it is clean, crisp and begs another sip. Beautifully done. For reference, the first ever Château Boswell vintage of a rosé was in 2021.

The roots of the Château Boswell Chardonnay program started with early days of the ‘dot com’ boom. Between 1994 and 2004 there was an influx of cash into the valley with vineyards being bought and sold and many new physical wineries and brands starting. In 1996, RT and Susan moved onto the Château Boswell property which became their primary residence. Susan began apprenticing at various wineries in the valley, primarily learning about vineyard management and winemaking including the influences that barrel types impart into wine. She was the head winemaker for Château Boswell in 2002.

When Susan began seriously considering producing Chardonnay, she asked friends how to bridge the gap between Burgundy and California. They recommended she make wine from older vineyards of Chardonnay. She eventually discovered several sites still planted to old vine Chardonnay and offered to purchase the grapes every year as long as they would not replant them to something more economically viable. The first Chardonnay produced by Château Boswell was in 2003. Susan refocused efforts on producing exceptional Chardonnay starting in 2008 by crafting wines from this variety in a more Burgundian style – focusing on texture, higher acidity and mineralities.

The oldest Chardonnay they produce wines from is the Purrington Rued Vineyard in Sonoma County with vines dating back to 1969. They purchase Chardonnay grapes from Sebastopol Vineyard dating to 1981. And starting in 2022 they began making Chardonnay from vines dating to 1973 from Bien Nacido Vineyards in Santa Barbara County. For reference, the oldest Chardonnay producing commercially in Napa Valley is from the Haynes Vineyard with vines dating back to 1967/1968. And the oldest commercially producing Chardonnay vines in the U.S. are in Sonoma County at Hanzell Vineyards, with a block dating back to 1953.

The 2021 Château Boswell UV Vineyard Chardonnay Wente clone (their inaugural vintage from this vintage); this wine is medium golden in color. The bouquet is immediately appealing with scents of baked pineapple, honeycomb, Golden delicious apple, Golden kiwi and melon. The palate is richly flavored with an up front noticeable intensity of fruit including yellow peaches, apricot, comice pear and Golden delicious apple. The vividness of flavor is complemented by a lively but balanced and long-lasting grip of bright acidity. The finish on this bottling is generous.

The 2021 Château Boswell Sebastopol Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley Robert Young clone (tightly woven clusters with 6-foot tall vines and busy and wild looking canopy. The canopy is cut back to expose the cluster to the sun so the grapes can get ripe but keeps lots of canopy to facilitate airflow with the vines growing in soft silty dusty soils. This wine is deep golden; the bouquet offers a generous helping of baking and dessert spices including creme Brule, vanilla bean, vanilla pudding, along with apricot, yellow nectarine, red apple, ripe mango and a ripe but not quite crossing the territory into over ripeness of cantaloupe. This wine reveals stone-fruited flavors of apricot, peach and nectarine accompanied by a noticeable textural softness and roundness.
50% new French oak barrels and 50% once used barrels. Some are fermented in 120 gallon barrels.

The 2007 Jacquelynn Cuvee Blanc is a 50/50 blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. This wine was carefully made and only underwent partial malolactic fermentation. It was stirred 1x per week on the lees over about 6 months while in barrel. The vineyards for both of these varietals are carefully managed with extremely low yields based on their 1 cluster per shoot requirement. The results are concentrated fruit and a pleasing textured mouth feel. The refined bouquet offers aromas of melon and pineapple with a highly layered palate in terms of its fruit characteristics.

Reds
The 2021 Château Boswell Rita’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir; this wine is medium ruby in color. The bouquet is lively and immediately engaging right out of the gate, focusing on its fruit characteristics rather than the spice characteristics that this variety is often known for. These scents are primarily red-fruited including raspberry, red licorice and cherry accompanied by a light and complementary note of dried herbs including smoked sage, thyme and bay leaf. This is a wine we did not want to stop smelling. The palate is anchored by a refreshing acidity that lifts up its fruit. These flavors include red cherry, blueberry, currant and pomegranate. A light note of dried herbs, and sweet tobacco spice persists on the finish beyond the fruit. The tannins are rounded, soft and sport a very subtle drying character. Juicy. Mouth watering. Get some of this please. This wine was fermented using indigenous yeast. The percentage of whole cluster fermentation changes every year and typically ranges from 15% to 25%.

The 2017 Château Boswell Bentrock Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills is medium ruby in color; the bouquet offers a ‘sweaty character’ we sometimes associate with more brooding bouquets of this variety. These layered aromatics keep on giving; they include some gamey attributes, damp potting soil, pipe tobacco, sweaty baseball mitt being worn on a hot summer day, beef jerky and white pepper. As savory on the palate as the bouquet, there are flavors of raspberry, licorice, sage, tarragon and white pepper. The acidity is bright and provides a refreshing lift to the palate. Seven years post vintage at the time of our tasting, the tannins are still felt with a lightly grainy and persisting dusty character. This is a great example of why you want to age some of your California Pinot Noir from cooler coastal climates. And it still has loads of life ahead of it.

The 2021 Château Boswell Tapestry Label Napa Red Red Blend; this label has been used since 2004 and is an image of a 17th century tapestry that the Boswells used to own until it was burned in the 2020 Glass Fire. This wine is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon from Pritchard Hill and 35% Merlot from the Hossfeld Vineyard on Atlas Peak. This wine is deep ruby and nearly opaque; the bouquet is highly aromatic expressing notes of blue and red fruits including raspberry, cherry, blueberry along with floral notes of lavender, lilacs and a hint of bittersweet chocolate. Savory, bright and a refreshing bottling, the palate sports flavors of red cherry, currant and plum and dried herbs including sage. This wine is brightly lit by its energetic acidity. The dusty and gravelly tannins fully coat the palate with their firm grip. We would love to pair this with something well marbled from the BBQ – perhaps a medium-rare tri-tip. This wine still has lots of life ahead of it; we would enjoy tasting it again in 5, 10 and 15 years from now.

The 2021 Château Boswell At Anchor Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal from Pritchard Hill. The image on the wine label is of RT’s former yacht and the name, At Anchor is in homage to all the times Susan and RT would drop anchor in ports. And as Susan says, sometimes one wants to ‘drop anchor’ and take time to truly enjoy the present. A bottle of this will only enhance the philosophy of ’embracing the moment’. This wine is deep ruby and opaque in color; the bouquet is both floral and red and blue fruited with scents of violets, lavender, blueberry, red cherry and currant accompanied by dried sage. The palate is immediately lively with refreshing acidity and red fruits. These flavors include cherry, plum, dark raspberry and currant. The grainy, dusty and chewy tannins parallel the fruit for some time on the extended finish – and at this age far outpace the fruit. This wine drinks well in its youth but clearly has the attributes to cellar for years to come. And it was included in wine critic James Suckling’s Top 100 Wines in the U.S.A. for 2023. The last vintage from Pritchard Hill bottled as this wine was from 2022. Moving forward they are sourcing grapes from Gamble Family and from Abreu Vineyards.

The 2006 Château Boswell Jacquelynn 100% Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon was partially fermented in open top wood puncheons. This wine like their other reds is only made from free run juice (not the pressed juice after maceration occurs). This is a rich layered wine with black fruit aromas including blackberry and cherry accompanied by a kiss of vanilla. It is robust on the palate in terms of both flavor and texture, featuring notes of blackberries as well as nuances of dark chocolate.

The 2004 Château Boswell “Beckstoffer Vineyard IV is led by Cabernet Sauvignon but is blended with a skosh of Cabernet Franc. The resulting combination produces a beautiful terroir driven wine expressing a dustiness and earthy quality on the nose which reminded us of petrichor, the smell of dust after a rain. In terms of texture and flavor, this wine is both rounded yet simultaneously opulent, featuring loads of fruit from the mid palate through to the finish. Time the finish on this one – you won’t be disappointed.

Château Boswell also produces limited quantities of wine bottled as Absolutely Eloise, named in honor of Susan’s first grand daughter. These wines are a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. And in homage to Eloise being born in California, the Eloise Chardonnay is made in richer more Californian style. According to Estate Director, Jeff Alexander, this particular wine is always, “a crowd pleaser with instant satisfaction”. The Absolutely Eloise Pinot Noir has been sourced from a number of vineyards over the years including Sun Chase, Bentrock, Radian and Rita’s Crown.

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Château Boswell was the first winery in Napa Valley to be certified Napa Green in 2007. This non profit provides a certification for growers to improve soil health, become carbon neutral and create a healthier climate for not only the vineyards, but also the winery and the community. The nuts and bolts of this certification include not using prohibited pesticides, water usage efficiency, managing forests if applicable on individual properties, and utilizing methods to promote soil health.

Their production has grown significantly since their early vintages yet still remains fairly small focusing on limited production hand-crafted wines. Total annual production ranges from around 2,000 to 4,500 cases. The wines are sold almost exclusively through their mailing list but select Château Boswell wines are available at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, Oak Park Restaurant in De Moines, Iowa and locally, at the Oakville Grocery.

For more information, to schedule an appointment and or to signup for client access which allows one to shop from a limited number of available wines, please visit: www.chateauboswellwinery.com

Wine Cave

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