Brandlin Estate

Brandlin Estate is a Mount Veeder vineyard with one of the deepest histories on the mountain, a property whose vines were first planted in 1926 by Henry Brandlin, an Italian immigrant who established a vineyard at 1,100 feet elevation during the final years before Prohibition shut down most of the valley's wine production. Some of those original 1926 plantings of Zinfandel still produce fruit today, making them among the oldest surviving vines on Mount Veeder. The estate is now part of the Turnbull Wine Cellars portfolio, with Steve Matthiasson (Napa Valley's most acclaimed viticulturist) consulting on the farming.

The 40-acre vineyard sits on the red volcanic soils of Mount Veeder, with the original 1926 Zinfandel blocks interspersed with more recently planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The mountain terroir is characteristically wild: thin, rocky soils; intense sunlight; wide temperature swings; and the forest pressing in from every direction. The old Zinfandel vines, nearly a century old, produce tiny clusters of intensely flavored fruit that makes wine of extraordinary depth. The younger Cabernet plantings benefit from the site's volcanic minerality and elevation.

Steve Matthiasson's viticultural consulting ensures that the heritage vines are farmed with the knowledge and sensitivity they deserve. The estate Cabernet Sauvignon is dark and tannic, with the mineral backbone of Mount Veeder fruit. The old-vine Zinfandel is the most distinctive wine in the portfolio, showing the concentrated, spicy character that only century-old vines can deliver. The Cabernet Franc adds aromatic complexity and herbal notes that reflect the mountain terroir.

Tastings of Brandlin wines are available through the Turnbull Wine Cellars tasting program, with the Mount Veeder wines presented alongside Turnbull's Oakville bottlings. The comparison between valley-floor and mountain-grown wines from the same portfolio provides an instructive lesson in how elevation shapes Napa Valley Cabernet. The Zinfandel, from the 1926 vines, is the most memorable pour, offering a taste of viticultural history that few other wineries can match.

Brandlin matters because it preserves a piece of Napa Valley's pre-Prohibition viticultural heritage. The 1926 Zinfandel vines are living monuments to the Italian immigrant farmers who planted them, and every vintage produced from these ancient roots is a link to a Napa Valley that existed before the modern wine industry was born. Steve Matthiasson's involvement ensures that the vines receive the kind of expert care that their age and significance demand.