Kelleher Family Vineyard

Kelleher Family Vineyard. The Kelleher Family (Don and Donna) produce a limited number of wines each year, bottled under the brand Kelleher. They also own Brix Restaurant located on Highway 29 about 2 miles north of Yountville. Brix opened on March 28, 1996. Today their daughter Valerie and her sister Leigh oversee the operations of the restaurant and Kelleher wines. Don chose the name brix because of its association to wine; it is a unit of measurement of sugar in a soluble solution and is measured in grapes by squeezing the juice onto an instrument known as a refractometer.

Brix is located just north of Yountville on Highway 29; our first dining experience here was in the early 2000s for one of their Sunday brunches. They have one of the best and most extensive wine lists of any Napa Valley based restaurant. Tod Michael Kawachi, known for his seafood was the restaurant’s founding executive chef. In terms of restaurant ‘staying power’ in Napa Valley, where restaurant turnover is as high as wine brand turnover, Brix is now one of the valley’s longest continuously operating restaurants.

Guests who dine at Brix will notice a vineyard in the back of the restaurant. This 10-acre vineyard (part of their 17.13-acre property) is appropriately named “Brix Vineyard”, is also owned by the Kelleher’s (acquired in 1993) and was planted to grapes in 1995. Grapes from this property are used for both the Kelleher wines and are also sold to local producers. And some of its premium vineyard neighbors include those owned by Paradigm Winery, Napa Wine Co and grower Andy Beckstoffer.

When Brix first opened, the Nick Webster Quartet used to perform Jazz music inside on certain evenings. The quartet was composed four Vintage High School students. Other local musicians would also perform. Later that same year, Brix strung what was called by the Napa Valley Register as, “perhaps the greatest megawatt concentration of illumination anywhere in the valley”. This was referring to an estimated 200,000 holiday lights strung throughout the property, perhaps taking inspiration from the S. Claus store which operated on the property prior to the Kelleher ownership.

The restaurant is one of the few restaurant or winery locations within Napa Valley to host public weddings. We know this because our cousin was married here. And they are permitted to host other events up to 250 guests. The restaurant underwent a major renovation in 2019.

In 1999 Brix Restaurant organized the Brix Restaurant Charity Golf Tournament held at the Yountville Golf Course. And that same year auctioned off a giant gingerbread house to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. In 2002 the annual Taste of Oakville (typically hosted at Robert Mondavi Winery) was held on the lawn behind the restaurant. They have hosted a number of special culinary offerings over the years including winemaker dinners. The restaurant has been written about in numerous outlets including American Airlines, Travel & Leisure and Luxury Travel Advisor.

This property housed The Grapevine Inn (often printed as Grape Vine Inn) from 1936 until permanently closing in 1986 after Napa County implemented an ordinance allowing a maximum of 100 seats in restaurants in unincorporated parts of the county. This ordinance effected Brix Restaurant in the late 1990s when they wanted to open their patio for additional seating. Fortunately, in 1999 after receiving approval of the local electorate, Brix was able to finally open this space.

The inn was originally founded by Augusta (Gussie) Garibaldi Menoggi (her husband was John, a rancher/farmer); she started with a boarding house, a small restaurant serving Italian cuisine and a bar. Eventually the inn stopped accepting guests but continued to use the name over the subsequent decades. The restaurant served both locals including veterans from the nearby Veterans Home of California, Yountville and visitors to the valley including celebrities – Clark Gabe, Carole Lombard, Patty Duke and Rock Hudson to name but a few. It was used by local officials at times to discuss community issues including water and health. In the early years, the kitchen was known for its home-made ravioli and steak and chicken dinners. It was also the monthly meeting place of The Patricians, a non denominational men’s group with members from Napa Valley and Vallejo. Numerous other local organizations would regularly have lunch or dinner here.

In May 1940 what was the St. Helena Cooperative Winery (current home of HALL Napa Valley) held their first annual banquet meeting at the inn. And what was called the Napa County Grape Growers Association, held their annual meeting at the Grapevine Inn on August 22, 1947. Attendees were prominent names in the valley then including Charles Forni, Martin Stelling and Jerome Draper. This organization is not to be confused with the contemporary Napa Valley Grape Growers, founded in 1975.

In 1947s Menoggi sold her business to her daughter and son-in-law, Florence and Lee Carbone. They continued to use her original recipes for decades. From the early 1970s until the late 1980s, the Carbone’s also owned Whistle Stop Tavern in Yountville at the site of the old Yountville Railroad Depot (now known as JCB Village).

In early 1968 Better and Ben Anderson moved their store called And Also Antiques from what was Vintage 1870 (now known as V Marketplace) in Yountville to the Grapevine Inn and changed the name of their business to Grapevine Inn, Arbor Shops. An advertisement in The Napa Valley Register dated Saturday December 27, 1969 mentions the interior of the restaurant as being cozy, with a crackling fire and the interior lined with a variety of antiques including pewter mugs and French and Venetian China lining the cabinets and showcases.

By 1977 the restaurant and bar significantly expanded and was upgraded from the original construction. A pianist performed on certain evenings. In 1986, the 50th anniversary of the inn, the Carbone’s sold the inn to Richard and Linda Greene. Due to its longevity the restaurant had served families spanning multiple generations and multiple generations of family ownership had worked here.

The Greene’s converted the operations into S. Claus, a year-round holiday boutique and cafe. The Greene’s moved the store from its previous location on site of what is now Brasswood Cellars north of St. Helena. They also operated the same type of store on Pier 39 in San Francisco. They operated their Yountville store until 1994 when ‘the grinch’ stole the holiday spirit and they closed their operations.

Grapevine Inn Memorabilia
Photographs coming soon!

For a short while the inn was possibly going to be converted into another location for Salute, a restaurant located in downtown San Rafael at that time. Instead the Greene’s sold the property later that year to the Kellehers.

Don Kelleher founded Kelleher Lumber Sales in 1970 in San Rafael. The company is now known as Kelleher Corporation with headquarters still in San Rafael along with select distributor offices in parts of California and one location in Hawaii. They company has grown into one of the world’s largest businesses to business suppliers of lumber, wood doors and other wood molding products. For more information about this company, visit: www.kelleher.com And in the 1980s Don was a partner in Oakville Ranch Vineyards, part of an ownership group prior to when Bob and Mary Miner purchased the property.

The inspiration to produce their own commercial wine in part came from the guests of the restaurant. Customers would see the pretty vineyards to the west of the restaurant and would often ask if Brix made their own wine. For a number of years, the Kelleher’s exclusively sold the fruit from the Brix Vineyard to other area wineries. However, acknowledging the quality of wines from wineries using their grapes, and realizing the potential of producing their own wines based on guest inquiries – they produced their first estate wine from the 2002 vintage.

This vineyard is located in prime Cabernet Sauvignon country (Oakville Appellation) and is entirely planted to this variety. In 2003 with the help of their founding winemaker Craig Becker, who made all wines until tragically passing away far too young in 2024, the vineyard began to be micro-managed. The farming techniques were updated in 2003 and 2004 to reduce vine size, crop load and introduce specific beneficial cover crops with minimal irrigation. All of these practices help produce lush, full-bodied wines. 2005 which was their first full year of farming under Craig’s direction.

Craig was raised in Long Beach, came north to attend Santa Rosa Junior College and then transferred to the University of California at Davis to study plant physiology and soil science. His first winery job in the Napa Valley was working for Robert Mondavi followed by time at Spring Mountain Vineyards. Later Craig operated his own wine consulting company and consulted for several boutique Napa wineries, including being a founding member of Somerston Vineyards. His specialty was working with small single vineyards that he had full control over. One of the most important aspects of wine making is vineyard management – and if the site is exceptional (as in the case of the Brix Vineyard) then great wine comes from well cared for vines.

Select Wines
Whites
The Kelleher wines see additional bottle age (as compared to most winery aging programs) and often spend a year or two in bottle before being released. As a result, the current vintages of their estate wines are often 5 or 6 years old. Kelleher also produces several non-estate white wines.

The 2016 Kelleher “Block 21” Sauvignon Blanc was sourced from a dry farmed organic vineyard in St. Helena. This wine was aged in 90% stainless steel tanks and 10% neutral oak barrels. It did not go through malolactic fermentation and the lees were stirred at various times during its aging. This wine shows a lively and fresh bouquet with aromas of lemon and lime, citrus blossom and a touch of guava. The wine showcases a lovely texture – supple across the palate and almost oily in its feel. Very balanced with weight but also with acidity. It is a pleasure to drink; the palate features plenty of concentration and a seamless long-lasting finish. One used to drinking green or grassy wines of this variety may mistake this wine for a non-Sauvignon Blanc bottling.

The 2015 Kelleher Three Sister’s Russian River, Don Miguel Vineyard Chardonnay is a tribute to Valerie and her sisters. This wine sees no malolactic fermentation. Like the Sauvignon Blanc it also undergoes battonage during its aging. It is medium straw color in the glass with a diversity of aromas including pineapple, pear, apricot, mandarin and dried straw. Well concentrated on the palate but fairly supple in its texture, this wine drinks very well by itself.

Reds
Kelleher Family elected not to harvest the grapes from the Brix Vineyard in the 2017 vintage. No wine was made from the estate that year due to the smoke taint effects from the terrible fires in early October.

The 2013 growing season featured warm conditions with an ample sized crop; this was a vintage that tended to produce wines of opulence, fruit forward characteristics, and plenty of concentration, depth and tannic structure. But like 2011 this vintage also needed time in the bottle but for very different reasons.

The 2013 Kelleher Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is dark crimson color in the glass; the wine immediately reveals bright, ripe and opulent fruit aromatics including blackberry and boysenberry. Juicy and well layered on the palate there is a noticeable density with flavors of blackberry and black berry along with notes of chocolate. This wine is about both fruit and power; a long finish is anchored by broadly structured tannins.

A special block within their vineyard is named Bari’s Vineyard, in tribute to one of Valerie’s sisters who tragically died far to young (in her mid 40s) from a heart condition. Each year they produce an extremely limited production Bari’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (typically only one or two barrels).

The 2012 Kelleher Bari’s Vineyard shows a thread of sweetness throughout the bouquet with elegant aromas of cranberry and red currant. Superbly balanced across the palate offers grainy but not overly gritty tannins. A hint of mocha along with fruit persists on the mouthwatering finish. Energetic acidity. And proceeds from the sales of this wine are donated to fight Type 1 Diabetes including related research.

In general, the 2011 vintage was a challenging year for vintners in the valley; this included working with cool weather throughout the growing season and rain up until early June followed by early rains in September and October and generally moist conditions during harvest. Unfortunately, this vintage was generally poorly received by critics who discounted the valley as a whole. In reality, there were a number of decent wines from 2011 and in many cases, these were wines that needed more time to age.

The 2011 Kelleher Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. One can immediately smell the vintage in the bouquet of this wine – offers aromas of tobacco leaf and cigar smoke, red fruits, olive and herbal notes. Shows mostly red fruit on the palate including cherry. A fairly supple mouth feel from start to finish – featuring nicely woven slightly dusty tannins that linger softly along with fruit and hints of cedar. This wine is food friendly but also drinks very well by itself some 7 years after the vintage date at the time of our latest tasting.

The 2004 Kelleher Family Vineyard unfiltered Estate Cabernet Sauvignon shows a smoky dusty and earthy quality in the bouquet which over time opens to fragrant aromas of candied fruit. The mid palate is smooth and rounded offering red and black cherry flavors. This wine is medium bodied with well-structured but not muscular tannins. The pretty finish lingers for some time with flavors of plum and red cherry

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Brix Restaurant provides a number of private dining options as well as garden space for outdoor weddings overlooking the vineyard. This is a special part of Napa that one cannot see driving by on Highway 29. Two gardeners oversee the culinary gardens; a diversity of produce is grown and is directly used by the restaurant.

With a current annual production of under 1,000 cases, the wine is limited but you can find it on the wine list at their own restaurant of course as well as select restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. And for those visiting the Napa Valley who want to taste the Kelleher Wines – tastings are hosted outdoors, weather permitting among their gorgeous gardens behind the restaurant overlooking the vineyard. Guests are encouraged to visit the edges of the vineyard; there are plenty of quintessential Napa photographs just waiting to be captured. And even the wine train passes by several times a day.

For more information, to purchase wine, to schedule a tasting or to join one of three membership offerings, visit: www.kelleherwines.com and www.brix.com