| " The
Smiths garnered attention and accolades — including
being listed as #2 on Robert Parker’s roster of
'heroes.” |
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 Luck
and timing led Bill and Joan Smith into the wine
business: enthusiasm, perseverance, and good advice
from a few talented friends facilitated their
success as world-class producers. A wrong turn
while trying to visit Chappellet Vineyard led
Bill Smith to discover and purchase the historic
ghost winery, La Jota Vineyard Co., including
40 acres on top of Howell Mountain in the Napa
Valley. Two years later, in 1976, Bill and his
new wife, Joan, spent their honeymoon planting
the first 2 acres of vines, which would grow to
28 acres by 1978. After a few classes in home
winemaking at UC Davis, a lot of experimenting,
and some priceless mentoring from friend and Howell
Mountain neighbor Randy Dunn, the Smith’s
produced La Jota Vineyard’s first Cabernet
Sauvignon vintage in 1982. With Bill making the
wine and Joan responsible for sales and marketing,
the couple garnered attention and accolades—including
being listed as #2 on Robert Parker’s roster
of “heroes” in the December 1994 issue
of The Wine Advocate. |
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