Erosion Control
Stony Hill

Stony Hill Terrace

Phifer PVITT

Phifer Pavitt

Chateau Boswell

Chateau Boswell

Chateau Bozwell

Chateau Boswell Tasting Cave

Susan Boswell

Susan Boswell

Farmstead at LMR

Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch Dining Room

Go Napa Green

Who knew that drinking wine was good for the environment?

2017 was a decidedly rough year in Northern California wine country. But now in full rebound mode, Napa’s hotels, wineries, and eateries encourage travelers to return and once again enjoy the bounty of one of the world’s most coveted destinations. Helping you to plan your next day or weekend trip is Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) with its 12 themed itineraries curated to match every viticultural mood. The common thread? Green….Napa Green. The Napa Green program – one of the most comprehensive environmental accreditations in the wine industry – serves to protect the land and conserve resources from soil to bottle. More than half of Napa County’s vineyard acreage is Napa Green Land Certified, and more than 60 Napa County wineries are Napa Green Winery Certified. So visit, swirl, sip, and savor not only great wines, but also the knowledge that your patronage is helping preserve both Napa’s economy and the environment.

TOUR:

On a recent visit we went “green” on the Eco Chic tour in and around St. Helena. First stop is Chateau Boswell, a boutique gem and the first Napa Valley winery to achieve Napa Green Winery status. Unofficially dubbed ‘the Queen of Napa Green’ for her continued efforts to reduce water and energy use, proprietress Susan Boswell instills a sustainable ethos in her 17 labels of hand-crafted, small lot varietals. Boswell personally oversaw the excavation of her spectacular 65 ft. under-earth wine cave and tasting room, where she preserved nooks that exhibit the area’s volcanic geological history. She has dotted the tasting room floor with hand-placed obsidian arrowheads found on-property when her late husband Richard Thornton Boswell planted the original estate vineyard nearly 40 years ago. Initially under the direction of the famed André Tchelistcheff, Chateau Boswell first produced luscious Cabernet Sauvignon but it’s portfolio has expanded to include luscious Russian River Valley Chardonnays and Sonoma Coast and Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noirs – all produced in small lots from exceptional vineyards and all incredibly decadent and delicious.
Next, it’s a short trip to Phifer Pavitt, winner of the Great Wine Capitals’ 2017 Sustainable Wine Tourism award, where you’ll try their Date Night Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Owners Shane Pavitt and Suzanne Phifer Pavitt named their wines after their all-important weekly date nights when many of their most important life decisions were made, including the decision to purchase the land for their winery. The duo has built a sustainable environment from the ground up; its eco-chic tasting ‘barn’ is insulated with recycled blue jeans and features reclaimed and recycled materials, a floating free form wood countertop, a hand stenciled floor, and rustic wire chandeliers handmade by Suzanne. And of course, their vineyards are farmed using organic and sustainable farming methods.
Last stop: Stony Hill Vineyard, the oldest continuously operating winery in the Spring Mountain District. This small family winery started making white wines more than 60 years ago, and recently a Cabernet Sauvignon made its way into their stellar line-up of Chardonnays, Gewurtztraminers, Rieslings, and Semillons. Stony Hill prides itself on its ‘non-interventionist’ wines that allow the flavored fruit from their rocky, hillside soils to determine the wine’s character. Founders Fred and Eleanor McCrea have passed the reigns to granddaughter Sarah McCrea who continues to dry farm the certified Napa Green Land, just as it’s been tended since the winery’s inception.

What is Napa Green Land Certified?

Land owners who assess all aspects of their property including farming practices, roads, and waterways, and implement measures to retain soils, prevent erosion and harmful runoff, con- serve water resources, and restore wildlife habitats.

What is a Napa Green Winery?

Wineries that implement 100+ measures beyond compliance to conserve resources, prevent waste, and enhance the efficiency of their operation.

STAY:

Visit your three Napa Green wineries in one day, or spread the fun over two days. Luxurious Meadowood Resort sits at the heart of the Eco-Chic tour and in addition to being the perfect respite between tastings, maintains your itinerary’s environmental ethos. Discretely tucked into the hillside off of Silverado Trail, Meadowood blends seamlessly, and with a gentle footprint, into its oak and redwood tree-studded terrain. Food and beverage options utilize ingredients from the property’s multi-acre organic garden, from which Chef Victoria Acosta crafts a culinary menu of delectable and healthy options. A stay at Meadowood is not complete without a visit to its spectacularly serene Spa – alone worth an overnight visit as it is only open to resort guests and members. Holistic treatments take place in individual spacious suites, and include the use of sustainably produced, certified organic, non-toxic products. Post treatment, guests can lounge in their suite or in the relaxation garden while enjoying offerings from the Spa culinary menu such as house-dried fruits, nuts, grains, and nourishing elixirs such as carrot with ginger, or lime and coriander.

DINE:

Continue the sustainable spirit of your weekend with a meal at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch, a true farm-to-fork dining experience that showcases the talents of local farmers, cattle ranchers, and winemakers. Chef Stephen Barber utilizes the spoils of this certified organic 700-acre ranch in his American farmhouse cuisine. Grass-fed beef and lamb, seasonal produce, extra virgin olive oil, Cabernet vinegar, fresh eggs, honey, and other items raised, harvested, and handmade on the farm make their way onto a menu filled with comfort foods such as deviled eggs with pimento cheese, caramelized beets, beef chili, and Heritage St. Louis Ribs smoked daily on the largest smoker in St. Helena. The dining room’s sky high barn ceilings, brown leather booths, hay bale carrier lighting fixtures, and open kitchen create a warm and welcoming homestead ambiance. Purchase some of Farmstead’s artisanal provisions such as olive oil, sauces, and salts, and keep the Napa Green vibe going at home.

Making the commitment to third party certification takes time and effort, but it is worth it to demonstrate our commitment to the community and to protect our watershed, our land and the air we breathe.​

A live check in with @abrittain & @reyeswine.mw!
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🌿 Did you know that less than 3% of philanthropic donations go to environmental work? 

Please consider donating to Napa Green this giving season with one of several ways at any level! 

Head to the link in our bio for details!
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With gratitude and joy, we wish you a beautiful day & start to the holiday season from all of us at Team Green! 

- Ben, Meghan, Anna, Marissa, Sierra & Megan
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‘If not here, where? If not now, when?’ 

“The onus is on us as a world class wine growing region to be leaders in sustainability & climate action.” 

- Executive Director of Napa Green, Anna Brittain
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It’s been a big week at Napa Green and we want to take a moment to raise a glass to salute you all. 

We are overjoyed to see so much support and invigorated interest in our mission towards sustainable practices and regenerative agriculture in the wine industry. 

We have many more details, paired with educational & financial resources that are already up and rolling on our website. We will continue to share them all, one by one and in great detail here on socials as well. 

For now please plan on joining us at our upcoming Town Hall meeting on Dec 7th at @stsupery. You can find more details at napagreen.org. 

Cheers and Happy Friday Napa Valley. We are so proud to be a part of this amazing community!
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⚠️ Important Announcement 

Napa Green becomes the first sustainable wine growing certification to require the phaseout of Round Up. 

Please find the link in our bio for the full press release and full suite of info & grower resources. 

Join us on December 7th for our Napa Green Town Hall at @stsupery.
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Don’t miss the awe-inspiring @nikki_silvestri at @dominusestatewinery on Nov 30th!
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You’re invited to join us for a very special day at @dominusestatewinery on November 30th. 

We’ll be briefly interviewing our speaker @nikki_silvestri right here on Instagram today at 2:00pm PST to hear more about what to expect at this event. See you then.
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Curious to learn more? Join us at @dominusestatewinery on November 30th for a rare event and luncheon. Link in bio for details.
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GREEN is the new black this season!! 

Head to the link in our bio now and get your shirts, help a good cause and be an honorary part of Team Green this season! 💚
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Let’s hear it for our Executive Director of Napa Green, the incomparable Anna Brittain for being named a 2023 Wine Industry Leader by @winebusinessmonthly!! 

In their Sustainability Stewards section (which we love to see) we find Anna named in good company with inspired fellow leaders! 

Head to our stories or the link in our bio for free access to the full November issue. 

Cheers to the great work of our visionary Director Anna Brittain!!
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Drink Green this Halloween! 💚
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Sierra is our Soil & Climate Specialist at Napa Green and her ask this year is that everyone consider donating to our small but mighty Team Green for Giving Season! 

Here is more from @regenwithsierra: 

“🎃 Happy Halloween Eve everyone! Today is my birthday, and I would be beyond thrilled if you would consider a donation to @napagreen to support a nonprofit focused on climate action in the wine industry 🍷🍾

@napagreen has the leading set of standards for sustainable practices, from soil to bottle. I am most proud of the work we do with winegrape growers to adopt regenerative agricultural practices in their vineyards. 

Please consider supporting us in our mission!  Click the link in bio for more! “
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Thank you for having us @visitnapavalley! We had a great time talking to visitors about the many sustainability practices our Napa Green wineries and vineyards employ! 

Stop into the Visit Napa Valley Visitor Center in Napa to learn more!
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