Napa Valley Wine Trail | Ghost Wineries
Total Trail Miles: 46.7
A ghost winery is a renovated 19th century estate that thrived before prohibition, disease and/or the great depression forced it into bankruptcy. Napa Valley is home to many of these 'ghosts' so we designed a trail that explores the better examples.
Start the trail at Regusci in the heart of Stags Leap. The Grigbsy-Occidental Winery was established in 1878 and eventually became one of the valley's preeminent estates. Gaetano Regusci purchased the 289-acre estate in 1932 and changed the name to reflect new ownership and direction. The winery’s well-preserved stone structure is an excellent example of a renovated ghost winery.
Head north on Silverado Trail and cut across the floor at the Oakville Cross. Continue north on Highway 29 until you reach Elhers Lane about eight miles up, Ehlers Estate sits at the end of the road. This St. Helena winery was originally built in 1886 by vintner Bernard Ehlers and subsequently restored by French entrepreneur and philanthropist Jean Leducq at the turn of the 21rst century. Ehlers Estate is a certified organic winery that employs biodynamic farming practices and serves wine to taste in the beautifully restored stone structure.
Stay on '29' and continue north all the way past Calistoga until you reach Tubbs Lane. Make a right and head east for a mile until you see the sign for Chateau Montelena. Alfred Tubbs purchased and planted this 254-acre property in 1882 and in 1896 became the seventh largest winery in the valley. Chateau Montelena’s ivy covered stone blocks are built into the hill and laid in the facade to reflect the appearance of a medieval castle. The winery's name is derived from its neighboring mountain - Mount Saint Helena.
Final stop, Ladera Howell Mountain. Work your way back to the Silverado Trail and head south until your reach the flashing red lights at Deer Park Road. Make a left and ascend the grade a few miles to White Cottage Road, Ladera is about a mile and half in - along a meandering gentle grade. Originally built in 1886 as the Brun & Chaix Winery at the direction of Italian mason Frank Giugni, this massive structure incorporates thirty-inch-thick stonewalls sourced from a quarry near Angwin Creek on Howell Mountain. It was originally designed as a gravity-flow winery and still employs the method to this day.
Dine at Terra in St. Helena (707) 963-8931
Winery Option: Hall St. Helena
Regusci | Stags Leap AVA