William Cole Winemaker’s Reserve 2015

William Cole Vineyards is a premium winery located just north of St. Helena with a production of around 800 cases annually. By Napa standards that is small; they are also the smallest producing winery that we know of in Napa Valley to have their own bottling line on site. This has its unique advantages as they are not tied into the schedules of having a mobile bottling truck come to the property.

Founders Bill and Jane Ballentine purchased this property in 1999. Bill is the vineyard manager and winemaker; his family has a deeply rooted history in the Napa Valley dating back to 1906 when his great grandfather on his maternal side, Libero Pocai, an immigrant from Lucca, Italy purchased 60 acres of land in the Napa Valley and six years later founded a winery called L. Pocai & Sons Winery and Vineyards. 1906 was also the year of the terrible earthquake in San Francisco – and was the primary reason why he and his wife moved out of the city.

Founders Bill and Jane Ballentine purchased this property in 1999. Bill is the vineyard manager and winemaker; his family has a deeply rooted history in the Napa Valley dating back to 1906 when his great grandfather on his maternal side, Libero Pocai, an immigrant from Lucca, Italy purchased 60 acres of land in the Napa Valley and six years later founded a winery called L. Pocai & Sons Winery and Vineyards. 1906 was also the year of the terrible earthquake in San Francisco – and was the primary reason why he and his wife moved out of the city.