St. Helena

The picturesque district of St Helena, located at the upper end of the famous Napa Valley, was once part of a sizable Mexican land grant. In 1841, Mexican General Mariano Vallejo granted Rancho Carne Humana to Dr. Edward Turner Bale who built the historic Bale Grist Mill. Throughout the 1850s it was wheat, not wine grapes that were the most important crop in St Helena.

A young Prussian immigrant named Charles Krug arrived in the area to help nascent winemaker JM Pachett with his St Helena vines. After serving an apprenticeship with Agoston Haraszthy in Sonoma, Krug set off on his own. Krug eventually married Dr. Bale's daughter and was given 540 acres of prime St Helena land as part of her dowry. Krug did much to establish winemaking in this part of the Napa Valley, including founding the St Helena based Viticultural Club. As elsewhere in the California wine country, food in addition to wine is venerated in St Helena. The town is home to many world class restaurants, such as Terra and The Restaurant at Meadowood, as well as the renowned Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.

Due to its unique microclimate St Helena is particularly suited to cultivation of the favorite wine grapes of the Rhone Valley, such as Syrah, Carignane, Marsanne and Viognier.

St Helena is one of Napa's most popular appellations, book your wine tasting tours early!

St Helena wineries that offer wine tours and wine tasting are: Beringer, Kent Rasmussen Winery, Merryvale, V Sattui, Hall, Sutter Home, Casa Nuestra, and Villa Helena.