Vermeil Wines

Vermeil Wines was founded by Dick and Carol Vermeil, founding winemaker Paul Smith (no longer making the Vermeil Wines) and several investors. Paul has a long history in Napa Valley working at prestigious wineries such as Opus One, Robert Mondavi and Joseph Phelps. For a number of years, the Vermeil wines were produced at OnThEdge Winery on Spring Mountain. The name of their original winery property was chosen because it was located right on “the edge” of the Napa / Sonoma County line on top of the spine of the Mayacamas mountain range which separates both counties.

The winery itself was located off of Langtry Road not far from Cain Winery. The winery sold several years back and then unfortunately the newly built Flying Lady Winery on site burnt down in the Glass fire of 2020. Presently Vermeil does not own a physical winery; as of our latest update to this review they are producing their wines at Mending Wall Winery, located in the northern part of Napa Valley.

Vermeil purchases grapes from long time family owned and farmed vineyards. Much of their grape sources comes from the dry-farmed historic Frediani Vineyard located slightly south of Calistoga on the valley floor next to the Silverado Trail. Dick’s ancestors used to own the Frediani Vineyard.

Vermeil Wines produces around 3,000 cases a year but from this they make a variety of different wines. As a result, many of their wines are produced in very small quantities.

Dick’s family heritage is originally from both Gattieres, France and Lucca, Italy (not far from Pisa). His roots in Napa Valley are deep, particularly in Calistoga where he was born and raised. Dick is not the only family member to be involved in sports. His father Jean Louis Vermeil moved to Calistoga in 1931, built racing cars and was associated with various racing and motorsports organizations for decades. Jean Louis started The Owl Garage in 1937, a 24-hour towing service and auto repair shop located behind the family home on Washington Street. He operated the garage for 50 years. He was one of the founders of the Northern Auto Racing Club and served as their president for 20 years. In 1987 he was inducted into the California Racing Hall of Fame.

And Dick’s brother Al was a conditioning coach for several professional sports teams including the San Francisco 49ers, the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls. Dick’s nephew, St. Helena born Louie Giammona played 5 seasons in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles including 1980, the year the eagles were in the Super Bowl coached by Vermeil.

Starting in 1899 and for a short while Dick’s great grandfather San Francisco mortician Garibaldi Iaccheri (G. Iaccheri & Co) operated the now closed Calistoga Wine Co; the old sign and production buildings are still standing. And in another tie to the Calistoga and the Vermeil family, for many years every Labor Day weekend, the Louie Vermeil Classic was held at the Calistoga Speedway featuring sprint car races and other racing events.

The original Fowler Cabin built by Napa Valley pioneer John Henry Fowler was originally located on Lincoln Avenue near the Napa River. Fowler was one of Napa Valley’s earliest western settlers having moved to what is now Calistoga in 1844 and purchased land from Dr. Bale. His businesses were mining and cattle and also wood working. In fact he and his father worked for General Vallejo and did the wood-work for a number of the still-standing adobe buildings in the town of Sonoma.

Later in life he moved to the city of Napa where he was one of the founders of the The East Napa Land Company. More information about Fowler and his family can be read in the book, The Fowler Family: Early California Pioneers by Eric Storm published in 2021.

The Fowler Cabin was later moved to its current location on Washington Street where it was joined with another historic house, formerly lived in by Vermeil’s grandfather, Iacheeri who purchased property in Calistoga in 1891. This was also once lived in by Robert Louis Stevenson & his wife Fanny and much later Dick Vermeil. These structures currently house a number of doctor offices.

The Fowler Cabin / Vermeil House

Dick graduated from Calistoga High School in 1954 and played quarterback at Napa Valley College for the 1954 and 1955 seasons. His nickname was known as the Calistoga Comet. The team at Napa Valley College was then known as the Chiefs – incidentally the same name as the NFL team he later coached from 2001-2005. He finished his collegiate football career at San Jose State. He even coached the football team at Napa Junior College (now known as Napa Valley College) for one year in 1964 bringing that team its first winning record at that point in more than 20 years. He is in their college Hall of Fame. In 1976 as head coach of the UCLA football team he won the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.

Dick’s storied football career was long; he made two trips to the Super Bowl. His first Super Bowl was in 1980 with the Philadelphia Eagles, losing to the Oakland Raiders and again 20 years later, winning the Super Bowl in 2000 with the St. Louis Rams. He is part of the NFLs top ‘100 greatest characters’ to the sport list. And in 2022 Vermeil was elected to the NFL Professional Hall of Fame.

With a heritage that encompasses both French and Italian roots, and given his place of birth, it is no surprise then that after a successful football career, Dick turned to wine. The first wine bottled under Dick Vermeil’s name was in 1999 – the Jean Louise Vermeil Cabernet Sauvignon by OnThEdge Winery.

Select Wines
Whites
The 2023 Vermeil Wines Sauvignon Blanc (100% varietal) was harvested from the Frediani & Luvisi vineyards in Calistoga. This wine is pale gold in color; the highly aromatic bouquet opens with scents of pear, passion fruit, pineapple guava, lychee, white peaches and green apple with some herbal notes including lemon grass and young kaffir lime leaf. The aromatics ride the saddle perfectly between the more grassy/citrus character of this variety and a tropical expression. A crowd pleaser, on the palate there are flavors of pineapple guava, comise pear, Golden delicious apple, pineapple, mandarin orange, apricot and white nectarine. And a resonating minerality. Refreshing, playful and fruity, this bottling deserves the company of lightly seared scallops in olive oil, a dash of salt and a light drizzle of freshly squeezed lemon juice. This wine was aged for 5 Months in 75% neutral French oak barrels and 25% stainless steel vessels.

The 2022 Vermeil Wines Chardonnay Dutton Ranch, Sonoma County is a mix of clones Wente, 15, and Mt. Eden. This wine is deep yellow in color; generous out of the gate, on the ripe bouquet there are honeyed aromas including honeysuckle and honeycomb partnered with creme Brule, caramel, canned peaches in light syrup, ripe apricots, yellow nectarines, pineapple and mango. This Chardonnay wants to be the life of the party – let it take that role. Simply put, delicious, this wine is well worth seeking out. The palate reveals flavors of roasted pineapple, mandarin orange, dried apricots, yellow peaches and nectarines, mango, papaya and a lingering combination of both hazelnut and tarragon. The strength of the flavors are matched by the intensity of its acidity. Powerful yet retains its vibrancy. Mouth filling and generous with a supple mouth feel, the fruited finish persists for quite some time. This wine was aged for 16 months in 40% new French oak and 60% neutral French oak barrels.

Frediani Vineyard, Calistoga

Luvisi Vineyard, Calistoga

Reds
Several of their wines are named for the year when particular vineyards were first planted including their 1908 Zinfandel bottlings from the Luvisi Vineyard in Calistoga. While there is no specific defined age to be able to call a wine, ‘old vine’, this most certainly is considered “old vine zin”!

The 2018 Vermeil Wines Zinfandel 1908 Block Luvisi Vineyard, Calistoga Napa Valley is medium ruby in color; the bouquet offers a pretty union of both fruit and darker spices. Shows aromas of red cherry, currant, leather and red licorice with some savory notes on the bouquet including dried herbs and sage. As the wine opens a subtle hint of mocha is revealed deeper in the aromatics. The palate offers mouth filling fruit with a juicy profile. The texture is soft and plush with rounded, lighter and slightly dusty tannins which are integrated seamlessly into the finish along with lingering notes of dried tobacco leaf.

It is interesting to note that the vines in this section of Luvisi Vineyard are spaced 7 feet by 7 feet – a spacing wide enough to allow for horse drawn plows to move up and down the rows. This is considered ‘old school’ spacing; modern day narrow tractors allow vine spacing to be much closer. These vines are head-trained and dry farmed. The Luvisi Vineyard is currently owned by brothers Don and Clarence Luvisi whose family purchased the site in the late 1800s.

The 2018 Vermeil Wines XXXIV Red Wine Blend, Frediani Vineyard Calistoga is dark ruby in color; offers fruit forward aromatics of ripe blackberry and boysenberry jam with complementing notes of mocha, espresso and brown chocolate. Smells like dessert in a glass. Offers flavors of black cherry and blackberry with a mouth filling richness without any heavy weight of tannins. Lingers with a variety of baking spices, darker fruits and polished well-integrated tannins which are dark, gravelly and chalky in texture. This wine is certainly a crowd pleaser for those who enjoy plenty of fruit and it drinks easily in its youth. It is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah and its name is in honor of Coach Vermeil’s Super Bowl win, coaching the St. Louis Rams in 2000 over the Tennessee Titans.

In 2022 a special 100 case bottling to commemorate Vermeil’s enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was produced. The 2022 Vermeil Hall of Fame Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal from Beckstoffer Vineyard, Georges III in Rutherford. This wine is deep ruby. The bouquet offers aromas of tobacco spice, cedar box, smoke sage, blackberry jam, blueberry, boysenberry and dark licorice. The aromas are fully ripe, but not over ripe and even as the wine evolves and warms in the glass, its focus remains on its core of fruit. The brightly lit and lively palate offers flavors of cherry, red plum, red, licorice, and currant with assorted dried herbs most notable on the finish. The tannins are moderately gripping with a persistent dusty character which outlasts the fruit on the finish. Savory. Balanced. And also an ideal candidate to pair with a well-marbled steak and a BBQ.

Over the years from a number of visits and tastings at Vermeil Wines, several wines have stood out including a softer styled Charbono, an uncommon variety in Napa Valley which requires a very specific growing climate. There are just a few wineries making this variety in Napa Valley; Charbono production is centered here because of the northern valley’s unique growing climate. In the summer, this variety thrives on very hot days contrasted with much cooler nights – often with 40-to-50-degree temperature swings. Charbono can have a very distinctive taste that can be described as rustic or gamey at times. The Vermeil Wines Charbono has some of these rustic qualities, but also offers delicious fruit, soft tannins and a lengthy finish. The Vermeil Syrahs are generally juicy in style with ripe concentrated fruit and very plush mouth feels.

The Vermeil Cabernet Sauvignon is named Jean Louis Vermeil after two of Dick Vermeils’ great grandfathers. Dick and his wife helped hand craft this particular wine. This Cabernet Sauvignon has already received some very good press and high ratings by respected wine critics.

Dessert
The 2003 Vermeil Wines Late Harvest Zinfandel is not an overly ripe, viscous, or prune-like late harvest style of wine often produced in California, rather the sugar level is controlled with just the right amount of tartness from the wine’s acidity to make this wine an intriguing choice to pair with food including spicy cuisine. The well-structured finish shows noticeable tannins advantageous for pairing this “dessert” wine with a protein-based meal (to help cut through the tannins).

Napa Tasting Room/Lounge
In summer of 2013 Vermeil opened a prominent tasting room in downtown Napa on First Street near the intersection of Main Street. A small open-air parking lot is located around the corner on Main Street within a very short walk of the tasting room but is often full on the weekends. Other parking lots are located within several blocks. In a downtown full of tasting rooms, with approximately 40 stand alone winery spaces by our last count, Vermeil’s tasting room is one of the oldest.

This spacious facility has a bar for walk in tastings, a sit-down area with additional tasting space and a room that can be reserved by groups for private tastings. Weather permitting, an outdoor fenced off space also is also used to host tastings. Initially a wide range of Dick’s football memorabilia was on display, lining one of the walls with historic photos and articles about his storied career. Over time, the interior décor and focus has become more on their wines rather than Dick’s sports career. Still, it’s no surprise that a wide screen monitor is always tuned to various sports games greeting guests as they enter the tasting lounge. The space is open till 10pm or 11pm depending on the day of the week; the tasting room takes on more of a lounge atmosphere later in the evening. Numerous restaurants and other tasting rooms are easily within walking distance.

Some of Dick’s sports memorabilia on display include several footballs from his playing career and a real looking golden replica of Dick’s winning super bowl trophy from his win in 1999 with the St. Louis Rams. An autographed movie poster of “Invincible” is also part of their collection. This movie is based on a true story of an out of work 30-year-old who makes the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976 during an open tryout held by then coach Dick Vermeil.

Calistoga Tasting Room (permantly closed)
Their Calistoga tasting room was such a part of the Calistoga landscape for many years that it was a bit of a shock to discover that the building was for sale in 2019. This tasting room opened in 2002 initially as OnThEdge Winery before much later converting to Vermeil Wines making this one of the older tasting rooms in Calistoga before it closed permanently in early 2019. Until mid 2024 it housed the Lawer Estates tasting room. We keep our notes and photographs here for historical reference.

The Vermeil tasting room was one of the original tasting rooms in Calistoga before numerous tasting rooms later opened. The Vermeil tasting room was open to the public and walk-ins were welcome. A nice perk of a visit to their Calistoga tasting room was Vermeil often had older vintages available for tasting; this is fairly uncommon in Napa Valley where most tasting rooms only pour current releases during their general tastings.

The tasting room was located directly next to the Napa River. Their tasting bar used to be located within the Hurd Beeswax Candle store which moved to the town of St. Helena and ultimately closed down.

At one point their Calistoga tasting room featured “bee doors” which was one of the more interesting attractions displayed in a Napa Valley tasting room. Built inside of the building’s wall was a live colony of buzzing honeybees very much at work in their hive.

For information about Vermeil wines, their city of Napa tasting room, or to join one of four membership offerings, visit www.vermeilwines.com