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Price is per person. Minimum 2 people; Maximum 6 people.  This can be booked as a 2-day itinerary. Includes Winery Tasting Fees & Lunch; hotel, transportation & sommelier guide additional.

What is Pritchard Hill?  Where is Pritchard Hill?  

This under-the-radar location high in the Vaca Mountain range is nearly impossible to stumble upon, although if you spot the names on the cluster of mailboxes on your way up Sage Canyon Road, you may be intrigued. Colgin, BRAND, Continuum, amongst others.  It is quickly becoming the most sought-after non-appellation location in Napa Valley to produce Cabernets of depth, power and finesse.  

The Chappellet family was first to discover the secret of the soils in Pritchard Hill, dating back to the mid-1960’s, when the lower valley floor was being quickly snatched up by the new gold miners of wine. André Tchelistcheff, then at Beaulieu Vineyard, advised Donn Chappellet to find property up in the hills above Oakville to produce, if he could.  Donn founded Chappellet Estate in 1967, and the rest is history.  The unique aspects of Pritchard Hill include their unusual soil type, a reddish volcanic clay loam, and their elevation, which lifts the vineyards out of the fog giving the grapes opportunities to ripen at a much more even pace.  

But finding patches of this ideal soil to plant grapes is difficult with all the boulders fixated into the side of the hilltop, and so Pritchard Hill will remain elusive to many winegrowers who wish to plant up in this tiny “hole” in the sky, nestled between Oakville, Howell Mountain, Stag’s Leap, Rutherford and Chiles Valley.  

At Abaluche, we have been lucky enough to know and work with many of the families up on Pritchard Hill, and are delighted to offer to our Society Members access to these wineries, many of which are not open to the public.  If you choose to venture further the following day, you’ll continue past Pritchard Hill to experience the idyllic back road wines of Neyers and Brown, known for their French-styled varietals and Zinfandel, respectively.  

Dine and stay with our friends at the venerable Auberge du Soliel, just down the hill from the Pritchard Hill region, or at the newly remodeled Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer, the new hottest spot to stay in Saint Helena.

Wineries:

• Continuum
• BRAND
• Chappellet
• Neyers
• Brown

Restaurants:

• Harvest Table by Charlie Palmer (St. Helena)
• Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil (Rutherford)

Hotel Partners:

• Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer (St. Helena)
• Auberge du Soleil (Rutherford)

Additional Amenities:

• Transportation:  $60-$90/per hour

• Sommelier Guide:  $150/per day

• Hotel:  $25 Booking fee + Market Room Rate