Press Overview

Lauded by Wine Spectator's Jim Laube and Matt Kramer as "One of the great names in Chardonnay" and as "The original cult winery" respectively, Napa Valley's Stony Hill Vineyard is a true original.

Perched at 600ft elevation on the side of Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley, Stony Hill has produced its estate wines with an unwavering dedication to a signature style established more than 50 years ago. "Chardonnay that tastes like Chardonnay" is the mantra of the winery founded Fred McCrea, who together with winery partner and wife Eleanor, transformed an old goat ranch into one of the most noteworthy pioneering wineries in the rebirth of the California wine industry. Since the first vintage in 1952, the critically acclaimed Stony Hill wines have been made with no malolactic fermentation and aged only in neutral oak barrels. The non-oaky, non-buttery style allows the steely, stone fruit and citrus flavors of the hillside vineyard to shine.

To its credit, this pioneering winery was ---

the first built in Napa after prohibition,

the first to sell directly to customers using a mailing list,

the first to use the 750ml wine bottle,

the only California winery to produce an Italian passito style Semillon de Soleil

and is as relevant today as it was a half century ago.

Consider that in 2003 alone, the winery enjoyed featured articles in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times and consistently garners top scores from leading wine publications including: Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits, Connoisseur's Guide, Quarterly Review of Wines, Dan Berger's Wine Newsletter, and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

For discerning wine lovers who appreciate stylistic integrity and extraordinary value, Stony Hill Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, White Riesling and Semillon de Soleil are peerless. Stony Hill wines can be found in fine restaurants and wine shops in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Virginia, Washington DC.