Wine

Vida Valiente winemaker Sam Kaplan believes wines are made in the vineyard, where every terroir nuance imbues each grape with a unique sense of place.

Located at the base of Glass Mountain in St. Helena, Vida Valiente’s most defining feature is the high percentage of obsidian in its rocky Cortina soils, producing wines of extraordinary tannic structure. Vines are farmed by Sam as well as viticulturist Jim Barbour, renowned for his impeccably managed vineyards throughout the Napa Valley.

The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Planted in 2018 to four Cabernet Sauvignon clones, The Vida Valiente Estate is composed of the Cortina soil series: extremely well drained cobbled rock and sand.

The vineyard is also laced with large chunks of black obsidian, hence the name Glass Mountain, which borders it. This incredible site was formed after thousands of years of alluvial fallout, slowly creating this unique composition.

The Movement Cabernet Sauvignon

A meticulously crafted Cabernet Sauvignon blend from all of the vineyards that Vida Valiente sources from: The Estate, High Ranch, and Beckstoffer To Kalon. $100 from each bottle sale of The Movement™ directly supports the Vida Valiente Foundation.

The Vida Valiente Foundation was created by Hayes and Susana Drumwright to facilitate mentorship of first-generation students, inspiring promising young scholars to make bold professional moves.

Vida Valiente translates to “Valiant Life;” finding pride in walking a brave path while showing yourself grace along the journey.

Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a vineyard that hardly needs an introduction. The well-drained, gravelly soils provide an ideal canvas for Cabernet to flourish. Crafting wine with Beckstoffer To Kalon fruit is exciting for many reasons.

We are working in the newest redeveloped section which gives us the ability to be the first to produce wine from our incredible block. 2021 Vintage marked the first harvest out of the newly redeveloped section of To Kalon.

High Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

High Ranch is exposed saddle of rock and well-drained earth, and this site sits at a much higher elevation than most of the other vineyards in Coombsville.

When first planted in 2018, Sam worked together with the Gutterson family and Mike Wolf to select the ideal Cabernet Sauvignon to plant. This south east location of the Coombsville AVA is greatly influenced from the cool, early morning fog from the San Francisco Bay.