Cappella

Six acres first planted in 1869 beside the cemeteries of St. Helena, where Charles Krug and Andre Tchelistcheff lie a few rows from vines David Abreu tore out twice to get right.

History

The site is among St. Helena's oldest vineyard grounds, homesteaded in the 1880s and planted since 1869, with Abreu only its fourth owner. The church that held it had him remove the old vines in the 1980s, and the land lay fallow nearly two decades before he replanted in 2002; diseased rootstock killed the first replant, so he ripped everything out and started again, six years passing before a crop. He had tasted Cappella fruit in the 1970s and never forgot what the ground could do. The full name, Cappella Rico-Matteo Abreu Vineyard, honors his two sons.

The Site

Six acres against the fences of the old Holy Cross Catholic cemetery and the St. Helena Public Cemetery on the west side of town, neighbored by Beckstoffer Bourn and the Hayne Vineyard.

Vines and Blocks

Cabernet Sauvignon leads at roughly two thirds of the planting with Cabernet Franc and a little Petit Verdot.

The Wines

The Cappella proprietary red joined the Abreu quartet from the 2007 vintage, Cabernet Franc-inflected, dense and long-aging, alongside Madrona Ranch, Thorevilos and Las Posadas and the Rothwell Hyde blend drawn from all four.