Neyers Vineyards

Neyers Vineyards, founded in 1992, is located on a short gravel road just off of Sage Canyon Road about a 10 minute drive from the valley floor and Silverado Trail. This 30-acre property is surrounded by steep and rugged hillsides covered in forest and other scrub; there are no vineyards planted on site. Founders of Neyers Vineyard, Bruce and Barbara Neyers purchased the property in 1999; the buildings on site were constructed soon after their acquisition – long time Napa winemaker Ehren Jordan (founder and co-owner of Failla Vineyards) oversaw the construction and became their first winemaker. Ehren met Bruce when both were working at Joseph Phelps Winery (Ehren as a tour guide). Prior owners secured several coveted permits (including the winery permit) and a permit to drill a cave into the hillside next to the actual winery. There are no current plans to drill a cave, but this certainly could be done in the future.

In 1984 Bruce and Barbara purchased 50 acres off of Conn Valley Road and named it Conn Valley Ranch; it is located a short distance north of the winery as the crow flys, but about a 20 minute drive. It is in the hills not far from Seavey Vineyards; today it is planted to nearly 30 acres of vines, ranging in elevation from 400 to about 1,200 feet. Much of the property is composed of basalt rock. This vineyard supplies the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon for their wines. The property had been previously planted as at the time of their purchase they spotted remnants of an old vineyard. They developed their own vineyard in the late 1980s and harvested their first crop from the property in 1992.

Bruce and Barbara have known each other since they first met in the 5th grade in Delaware; both are from Wilmington which incidentally is the same city as the owners of Bouchaine Vineyards. Bruce joined the ROTC in the late 1960s and was ultimately assigned to a post in South Korea (rather than Vietnam) a remote area close to the DMZ. It was in Korea that Bruce was introduced to French wine by one of the officers. Family was not supposed to join the military men but after talking to her father, an Air Force General, Barbara decided to go to South Korea anyways. She and Bruce lived in South Korea for about a year before Bruce was transferred to San Francisco (the Presidio). He soon left the army and has since spent a career in the wine industry – working at Joseph Phelps Winery for 17 years where he became their general manager and later the first national sales manager for Berkeley importer Kermit Lynch. While this company is still in business in Berkeley, Bruce is now retired from Kermit Lynch. It was while working at Kermit Lynch that he developed an appreciation for Syrah – the company sold bottlings from some of the greatest Syrah producers in Europe. And he furthered his knowledge about how to properly produce Syrah including best terroir and cellar practices from visits to Syrah producers in France.

Both Bruce and Barbara worked harvest from 1972-1974 at Mayacamas Winery located high up in Napa’s Mt. Veeder sub-appellation. The Neyers had initially met Bob Travers, the owner of Mayacamas Winery at the time through Connoisseur Imports, a wine importing company Bruce was working for in San Francisco. Travers was hand selling vintages of Mayacamas wine at the time. Travers purchased Mayacamas Winery in 1968 and sold it in 2013. And in the 1970s Bruce taught several short courses on wine sponsored by Napa Valley College.

Barbara, who we met with during our first visit to Neyers remembers 1972 as being one of the rainiest seasons on record in Napa Valley. Certainly not ideal conditions when trying to harvest grapes with mold issues, but it made for a memorable vintage. Bruce told us the two most challenging vintages in his 50+ harvests in Napa Valley were in 1972 and 1989. In general, vintages in Napa Valley are fairly consistent with some vintage variation; we wish they were all like the even-keeled vintage of 2023. However, a difficult year with the weather being a detrimental factor in some sense was a good way to begin one’s wine making career as subsequent harvests would be less challenging. In 2022 Neyers celebrated their 30th harvest and the 50th harvest for both Bruce and Barbara.

Barbara later became a chef and was manager at the acclaimed Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley where she worked for 20 years.

The Neyers farm their estate vineyard using organic practices (the management of their vines is done by hand). They ferment using indigenous yeasts (non-cultured) and bottle all their red wines with no filtration. Neyers also tends to release some of their wines extremely young, including both the whites and select reds.

And refreshing in Napa’s contemporary wine making environment, Neyer’s wine philosophy is about showcasing food friendly and affordable wines, highlighting the fruit and varietal characteristics rather than secondary oak influences. Their oak aging is always gentle and judicious.

Select Wines
Whites
In addition, they source grapes from premium vineyards, some within Napa Valley but from select other vineyards in parts of Northern California. They have become known for their Chardonnay production (this variety comprises the bulk of their 15,000 to 20,000 case production each year). They produce several different Chardonnays from the Carneros District located in the southern part of Napa Valley. The Neyers Carneros Chardonnay is barrel aged while their ‘304’ bottling sees no oak at all.

The 2021 Neyers Chardonnay, Carneros District Sonoma County is deep gold in color; the bouquet revels in its energy and vivaciousness, but also it’s ripe approach. It reveals scents of pineapple, mango and red apple along with creme Brule, vanilla, butterscotch and a light white toast. The palate offers flavors of honeycomb, golden delicious apples, a note of creme Brule, pineapple, yellow nectarines, apricot and mandarin orange. And there is a subtle perceived sweetness from its core of fruit. It texture is satiny, like running ones fingers through the gentle fur of a young Miniature Schnauzer. Lingers rich in flavor accompanied by a light nuance of hazelnut. Not oaky and not buttery. Balanced, bright and beautiful. This is one of the better price to quality Chardonnays coming from the Carneros District.

These grapes were harvested from three sites including Yamakawa Vineyard, Green Acres Vineyard owned by the Sangiacamo family and El Novillero Vineyard at the far western reaches of the Carneros District. The grapes were fermented using indigenous yeasts in 100% French oak of which 25% were new barrels. And malolactic fermentation was done using inherent native bacteria.

The 2015 Neyers Chardonnay, Carneros District was sourced from three vineyards in the Carneros district – all planted to a Wente clone of this variety. This wine went through secondary fermentation. There are appealing floral characteristics including star jasmine and citrus blossom. The palate sports a lovely texture with a rounded and slightly oily feel which is complemented with bright acidity, especially noticeably on the finish. It lingers with energetic and lively flavors of citrus accompanied by a slight nutty character (hazelnut).

The 2021 Neyers Chardonnay ‘304′ Sonoma Valley was fermented entirely in stainless steel tanks and spent four months aging on its lees prior to bottling. This wine is medium gold in color; the first aromatic we noted reminded us of the smells of juice resulting from coring Golden delicious apples. There are also scents of pear, quince, lemon peel and honeydew melon. The palate sports flavors of red apple, pear, white peach, honeycomb and apricot. A creamy texture is balanced nicely by this wine’s lively acidity. The focus of this bottling is clearly on its varietal characteristics without too much influence from the cellar. The finish lingers with a very subtle bitter or herbal note which is primarily overshadowed by the fruit. Pair with roasted chicken.

The 2017 Neyers Chardonnay ‘304’ was fermented and aged in stainless steel (85%) and in concrete tanks (15%). While pondering a name for this wine, Bruce was inspired by his cellar workers to use the name ‘304’, referring to the SAE 304 stainless steel grade used in their tanks which is the most common type of stainless steel. This wine sees no secondary fermentation. It shows notes of honeysuckle and hints of citrus blossom on the bouquet – with a rounded and soft texture throughout the wine while retaining bright acidity across the palate. It offers flavors of orange marmalade, mandarin, red apple and a supporting thread of minerality. Drinks easily and clean.

Reds
The 2019 Neyers Pinot Noir Placida Vineyard, Russian River Valley Sonoma County is medium ruby in color; the attractive bouquet offers aromas of sweet raspberry, root beer, white pepper, strawberry, a subtle hint of cedar, cardamom and clove. Red fruited across the palate, its flavors include strawberry, Rainier cherry, pomegranate, red plum and dark raspberry. A darker pepper spice, assorted dried herbs including smoked sage, and a subtle drying character complement its lightly grainy texture on the finish. Savory, gamey, bright and balanced. This wine drinks quite well by itself, but if we were going to pair it with something in particular it would be with roast duck or BBQ lamb.

The 2021 Neyers Sage Canyon California Red is a blend of 30% Carignan, 30% Mourvèdre, 25% Cinsault and 15% Grenache, made from grapes sourced from as far north as Mendocino County down to San Luis Obispo County. All stems are fermented with the grapes. This wine is deep ruby; the bouquet is higher toned showing aromas of sour cherry, Tonka bean, red plum, currant, lavender, sarsaparilla, dried herbs and white pepper. If we were to taste this in a blind tasting we might venture a guess that one of the varieties in the blend was Syrah from a cool climate vineyard. We would be completely wrong of course, yet again humbled. Like the bouquet, the palate is also higher toned, showing flavors of red plum, currant, cranberry, blood orange and tart cherry. Its acidity excites but doesn’t dominate the palate. The savory, juicy and bright finish lingers with grainy textured tannins and a light but lingering drying character. This is a very versatile food wine and is highly worth seeking out for its character and unique blend.

Nyers also produces a Zinfandel; they used to work with the historic farmed-by-hand Tofanelli Vineyard in Calistoga. One of their Zinfandels produced in past years, was grown at elevation – the High Valley Vineyard Zinfandel was made from Zinfandel grapes growing in eastern Napa County at an elevation of about 2000 feet. One nice feature of their Zinfandel wines in general, is these are not typically high alcohol wines showcasing over-ripe fruit; as a result, they show the varietal characteristics very well and do not feel ‘hot’ on the palate.

The 2020 Neyers Zinfandel Vista Notre, California is deep ruby in color with some purplish hues; the bouquet is initially a bit moody and brooding, casting darker aromatics of damp potting soil, old leather, mushroom, ground pepper, sage and lavender. There is some aromatic character at play here; we like that. A California ripe, opulent, jammy and hedonistic showing of this variety? Not even close. Bright across the palate, it offers flavors of cherry cola, blueberry, raspberry and red licorice. Lingers with a lively expression of both red berry fruits, white pepper and bright acidity. The tannins sport a light to moderate grip, felt more on the front of the palate than the back. We would love to be in the company of both this bottling and a spice marinaded BBQ short ribs.

A distinctive wine is produced from two low-elevation blocks on the Neyers Ranch in Conn Valley, one planted to Merlot and one planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. The name for this wine, Left Bank borrows its nomenclature from the Left Bank in Bordeaux but in their case, refers to both vineyard blocks being located on the left bank of tiny Conn Creek. The soils here are formed from accumulated alluvial deposits and feature lots of gravel descending to depths of nearly 40 feet. And it is gravel that dominates the soils in St. Julien in Bordeaux.

The first vintage of their Left Bank Red was from 2012; their winemaker Tadeo Borchardt noticed distinct differences in the characteristics of grapes harvested in the lower elevation portion of their property next to Conn Creek versus grapes of the same varieties from other parts of their vineyard. He suggested they bottle a stand alone wine of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from these two lower blocks. The 2020 Neyers Left Bank Red is slightly weighted towards Merlot with the remainder being Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is deep ruby; the bouquet is immediately floral with aromas of lilacs, lavender and sage along with plenty of fruit including boysenberry, blackberry and blueberry. Juicy, fresh and bright across the palate, it offers flavors of cherry, currant, cranberry and red plum. Savory with a red-fruited tartness, the tumbled and dusty tannins fully coat the palate and persist beyond the fruit on the finish.

The 2016 Neyers Left Bank Red is approximately a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from grapes grown on their Conn Valley Ranch. This blend changes from year to year but always includes only these two varieties. The bouquet is intriguing showcasing primarily red fruits including raspberry and red cherries complemented nicely by nuances of dried sage and tobacco leaf. Juicy with mouthwatering acidity, this wine offers plenty of flavor. The finish is long and anchored by earthy, somewhat dusty firm tannins and a lingering red-fruited tartness.

The 2015 Neyers Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is crimson red in the glass; it offers an elegant bouquet with blackberry and boysenberry along with a hint of darker spices and a very slight oak spice influence. Shows more red fruit than dark fruit on the palate including raspberry and red currant. Medium bodied, the tannins are firm and still a bit tight in their youth. Excellent acidity. This wine should age well for years to come.

Neyers also produces wines from unusual varieties for Napa based producers, including Carignane and Mourvèdre (sourced from outside of Napa Valley) including grapes from some ancient vines from one of the rarest vineyard sites in the state, the Evangelho Vineyard in Antioch (Contra Costa County). One of the last few vineyards in Antioch, it is planted in part to Carignane and Mataro, some of the vines which date back to the late 1880s. All head pruned on their own roots, growing on very sandy soils, the grapes from these vines are highly sought after, Neyers is not the only Napa Valley producer buying fruit from this vineyard – Hess Collection, Turley and T-Vine also make or have made wines from this site. And the property is owned by Morgan Twain Peterson of Bedrock Vineyards.

Also worth mentioning is their ÂME Cabernet Sauvignon, which is one of the best names in the valley based on its back story. Well-respected vineyard manager, David Abreu was helping the Neyers develop their vineyard in the early years, and he identified an upper section of vines that he called the soul of the vineyard. A French secretary worked for the Neyers at the time, and she informed them that soul in French is the word ÂME. Coincidentally the letters in ÂME are the first initials of each of their three children’s names, Alexandra, Michael and Elizabeth.

The 2016 Neyers ÂME Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal, dark ruby in color it shows a sweetness of fruit on the bouquet including blueberry and a hint of mocha and cedar as the wine continues to breathe. Both red and darker fruits show on the palate including plum and a red cherry note towards the finish. Robust young tannins linger for a long time – they are chewy and persistent across the palate. This is a very full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. It was sourced from their “best” vineyard block which is the highest and most rocky on the property. Magnums are usually available for some of their wines including this one – and are often still available after the 750ml bottles have sold out.

Neyers produced a beautiful Syrah from Gary’s Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlights of Monterey County through the 2019 vintage. They stopped producing this wine because the vines were pulled out.

—

Neyers also produces their own organic olive oil – from several varieties growing on the winery property including Manzanilla, Arbequina, Picholine, and Lucques. This production is very limited and only available in 375 bottles.

The winery property has never been planted to grapes. Our first visit was during harvest and the winery was a buzz of activity with grapes actively fermenting, barrels being moved around, and freshly harvested grapes arriving by the truckload. As with many small “hands on” Napa Valley wineries, harvest is a great time to visit as you can see the winery in “action”. The winery uses two types of tanks, both open-top and closed-top. Their Rhone varieties are fermented in the open top fermenters where punch downs are conducted by foot treading. Several large wooden foudres and a concrete tank are used for some of their Rhone varieties.

Two barrel aging spaces are located on the property including one dedicated to their Chardonnay production and one for the red wines. And they use two presses, one for white wines and one for red wines.

A visit is here is very personable and sometimes includes a chat with Barbara or Bruce if she is on site. Their daughter, Lizzie Neyers Mix is involved in the business and sometimes hosts tastings. Visits are held either inside their tiny tasting room or outside if the weather permits under a trellis and large wisteria vine. This is a very quiet part of Napa Valley – far removed from the traffic that at times often tangles Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail.

In 2017 the Neyers entered into a partnership with Trinchero Family Estates – both parties now jointly manage the winery. Bruce is a prolific writer and reading his blog on the Neyers website is a trip down memory lane filled with rich stories of his decades in the business.

The wines are well distributed nationally as well as locally including at both restaurants and retail wine shops. For more information, to purchase wines, to schedule a visit (as of our latest update to this review, visits are hosted only on Fridays and Saturdays) or to join one of three wine wine offerings (can be personalized), visit: www.neyersvineyards.com