History
Dr. George Belden Crane planted vines in St. Helena from 1858, and his name still attaches to several separate pieces of that original holding, which was subdivided long ago. The Salvestrin family bought their portion from Crane's heirs in 1932 and Andy Beckstoffer bought his in 1997. This is a third and much smaller survival, an eight-acre parcel whose field-blend core dates from 1885, kept for its old vines, though parts of it have since been replanted. The vineyard and the Crane Assembly brand were sold in 2022 to Vail Miller Jr. and his wife Leslie.
The Site
A secluded eight acres in the middle of the St. Helena town grid, reached by an unassuming dirt road. St. Helena High School stands on the site of Crane's first vineyard. The soil is a finer Bale clay loam here than on the bench proper, flecked with gravel but holding enough deep moisture for mature roots to get by with little irrigation.
Vines and Blocks
About four acres of the eight are the field blend, a mix of 1885 and younger vines, free-standing head-trained bush vines, with drip irrigation used only in prolonged heat spikes. Roughly three quarters is Zinfandel, with Petite Sirah, Carignan, Alicante Bouschet and Valdiguie interplanted through the mixed blacks. A trellised Cabernet Sauvignon block sits separately and supplies structure and colour to the blends.
The Wines
The fruit goes into The Crane Assembly cuvees, made by Philippe Melka's Atelier Melka team.