In 1885, Dr. George Beldon Crane planted an assortment of grape vines on an eight-acre plot just south of St. Helena. It is one of the oldest vineyards in the Napa Valley — a red wine field blend traditionally known as ‘mixed blacks’, likely consisting of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignan, and smaller amounts of Alicante Bouschet, Mourvèdre, and Valdiguie. Of the eight acres in production, approximately four contain a mixture of G.B. Crane’s original head-trained vines with newer plantings from the 1930s interspersed. The remaining four acres include a 1.6-acre block of Cabernet Sauvignon, a 1.4-acre block of Petite Sirah, and three rows of Merlot. With such a storied history and enormous potential, the vineyard was purchased in 2012 with one goal: to preserve this piece of California viticulture history and produce a wine that both represents and respects that heritage. el Coco is exactly that wine. Vineyard: G.B. Crane, St. Helena, Napa Valley | Planted: 1885 (original blocks) | Blend: Mixed blacks field blend | Vintage: 2019
