Our Sequoia Grove Wine Tiers Explained

You can find some of the world’s best wines in Napa Valley. Yet, with all that choice, it can be hard to pick the right wine for you. At Sequoia Grove Winery, we understand the importance of enhancing those rare and memorable moments of conviviality and connection. That’s why we craft well-balanced wines that adapt to a variety of dishes. Thanks to Rutherford’s hot days and cool nights, the region is ideal for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. This is why Cabernet is our champion variety, and we offer several different expressions of it across our ranges. 

To make things as easy as possible, we craft four series of wines that reflect the unique characteristics of the vineyards and the vintage. Each series represents one of the following V’s: Valley, Varietal, Vineyard, and Vintage.

 

Napa Valley Series: The Valley Wines 

Our opening tier is all about Napa Valley. It consists of two wines: the Napa Valley Chardonnay and the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. These are the only two wines that Sequoia Grove distributes nationally. Perhaps you’ve even spotted the white label on a wine shelf before, featuring our brand icon of 3 Sequoia trees? 

The tier is called Napa Valley because both these wines are made within the Napa Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area). It’s an allocated area of vineyard land grouped by specific geography or climate. For a wine to be labeled ‘Napa Valley,’ 85% of the grapes must be from the Napa Valley AVA. Sequoia Grove proudly sources fruit from our vineyards and other top-tier growers to produce our Napa Valley Chardonnay and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines are a perfect starting point to explore what Sequoia Grove is all about.

 

 

Winemaker Series: The Varietal Wines 

The second tier of Sequoia Grove is called the ‘Winemaker Series.’ It pays tribute to the relationship between grower and winemaker. It is all about ‘Varieties.’ These seven wines typically focus on individual grape varieties that often make up Cabernet Blends. To label a wine Cabernet Sauvignon, 75% of the fruit must be Cabernet Sauvignon according to California law. Traditionally, the remaining 25% of the blend is made up of varieties like Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and, occasionally, Syrah. These varieties often show up in the Rutherford Bench Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – the only Cabernet Sauvignon blend in the Winemaker Series. 

For those that prefer a lighter style of wine, The Winemaker Series includes a Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and a Grenache Rosé. From the Winemaker Series onwards, the wines are only available through our winery, online store, and wine club. You’ll easily spot the Winemaker Series range as the cream label features a depiction of our historic tasting barn, vineyard, and Sequoia trees. This array of elegant wines ensures you’ll find something you love to help bring any occasion to life!

 

Vineyard Series: The Vineyard Wines 

The third series of Sequoia Grove is called the ‘Vineyard Series.’ This series represents our single-vineyard wines. To carry the prestigious title of a single vineyard, 95% of the fruit must come from that vineyard. The goal of a single vineyard is to highlight the terroir or unique growing conditions of the site.  This includes soil type, altitude (mountain vs. valley), sun exposure, row orientation, and rainfall. All these characteristics influence the flavor of wines. 

Our Vineyard Series wines are a significant component of our award-winning Wine and Food Pairing Experience, where we pair food with single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Some of the vineyards we work with include Tonella Vineyard (Rutherford AVA), Morisoli Vineyard (Rutherford AVA), Stagecoach Vineyards (Atlas Peak AVA), Lamoreaux Vineyards (Oak Knoll District AVA), Healy Vineyard (St. Helena AVA), Henry Brothers Vineyard (Howell Mountain AVA), Christian Vineyard (Coombsville AVA) and Frediani Vineyards (Calistoga AVA).  

The series is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon; however, we also make a Cabernet Franc from Tonella Vineyard (Rutherford AVA) and a Chardonnay from Montaña Dorada Vineyards (Los Carneros AVA).  You’ll easily spot these Vineyard Series wines for their taupe label that features a depiction of our historic tasting barn, vineyard, and Sequoia trees. If you’d like to explore Cabernet Sauvignon’s nuances and diverse flavor profiles, this is a fantastic selection of wines to try.

 

Cambium Flagship: The Vintage Wine

 

Cambium is our top-tier Bordeaux-style blend and reflects the best of each vintage. While it is classified as a Cabernet Sauvignon most of the time, we have opted to label it as a ‘Red Wine.’ This gives our winemaker complete flexibility to craft the best blend possible, rather than being tied to a variety. The grapes can be sourced from any vineyards, and only the very best barrels are selected for this small-production wine. The name ‘Cambium’ comes from the inner layer of a woody plant – right beneath the bark layer.  This cambium layer is what brings nutrients from the ground to the canopy. This is true for our Sequoia trees and vines alike. Each growth ring in a tree is a visual indication of a growing season or vintage. That’s exactly what this wine represents. If you’d like to try this wine, look out for the black label with gold lettering and a single Sequoia tree. Cambium is for anyone who wants to level up their wine game. It will cellar beautifully for years to come, adding magic to any milestone moment!  

For more than 40 years, Sequoia Grove Winery has been crafting exceptional wines that reflect the unique characteristics of the vineyards and the vintage. We take great pride in our process, but at the end of the day, we’d rather let our wines do the talking.