Cakebread Cellars: The Best Wine Tour I've Done in Napa Valley.

The History and the Property

In 1972 Jack and Dolores Cakebread purchased the property in Rutherford from the Sturdivants, friends of Jack's parents, whose home is still on the property today and now serves as the catering kitchen, cooking classes, and wine pairing venue. Cakebread produced their first vintage in 1974, a 1973 Chardonnay. The winery is still owned by the Cakebread family today.

Jack became a freelance photojournalist, and most of the landscape photos throughout the winery were taken by him. One of them is on the bottle. Robert Mondavi recommended to Jack, who was in his 40s at the time, that he go back to school to become a winemaker since the Cakebreads couldn't afford to hire one. Dolores also went back to school and became a Master Gardener. Two of their sons, Bruce and Dennis, eventually joined the business, with Bruce becoming the second winemaker after his father. The original property was 22 acres. Cakebread is now 600 acres across 16 vineyards in the valley.

The Visitor Center

Beautiful and welcoming from the moment you arrive. The light fixtures are made from exploded wine barrels, which is exactly the kind of detail you want to notice on the way in. As we checked in for our tour, our first tasting was poured: a Vin de Porche Rosé, bright and lovely, perfect for a warm afternoon. Our guide Dana met us and the tour began.

The Vineyard Walk

We moved into the older section of the vineyard where grapes were actively being harvested. Cakebread harvests by hand overnight when the weather is cool. We were able to try some white grapes right off the vine.

When we asked how they keep the soil nutrient-rich over so many years, the answer was thorough. Grapes take mostly nitrogen from the soil, so every spring they plant cover crops between the rows: clover, buckwheat, and fava beans. These are tilled back into the soil when they're about waist high. They also bring in sheep from a company called Woolly Weeders to mow.

White grape vines are grown to be bushier because the fruit needs more sun protection. Red grape vines are pruned closer to allow sun to reach the fruit that thrives in it. Vines need to be replanted every 30 to 35 years to remain economically viable because even though they can live hundreds of years, they produce less fruit as they age. It takes about three years to get grapes from a vine once replanted.

Cakebread is one of the few vineyards that drops fruit, each shoot is only allowed two clusters so all nutrients are directed into them. Napa Valley produces only about 4 to 5% of California's wine total, and at Cakebread all vineyard management is done by hand, not by machine. That combination is a significant part of why the pricing reflects quality over quantity at every step.

The Tastings

Tasting 1: Vin de Porche Rosé 2023

Poured at check-in. Bright, lovely, perfect for a warm afternoon.

Tasting 2: Chardonnay 2023 (50th Anniversary Vintage)

Our guide explained malolactic fermentation here: after the initial fermentation's yeast dies, it's stirred back into the wine and forms lactic acid that creates creaminess. This particular Chardonnay was 0% malolactic, meaning it was processed in stainless steel rather than oak, giving it a very light and crisp character with notes of passionfruit and citrus.

Tasting 3: Pinot Noir Barrel Sample 2022

A barrel sample is what they pull from the barrel to taste before bottling. More fruit-forward than a finished wine because it doesn't have much age yet. A genuinely interesting tasting experience, getting to taste wine at this stage.

Tastings 4 and 5: Cabernet Sauvignon and Benchland Select 2018

At the end of the tour we tasted two Cabernet Sauvignons and one Merlot. The familiar Cakebread Cabernet was exactly as expected. But the 2018 Benchland Select Cabernet was the highlight of the entire visit. Just wow. If you get a chance to try this one, you'll understand immediately why the tour is worth doing even if you've tasted Cakebread wines before.

The Garden and Production Facility

Dolores's Garden is now a smaller sustainable chef's garden, certified bee-friendly, with not one weed in sight. They use marigolds for pest control, grow corn for polenta, and we learned that loofah sponges come from gourds. That last detail derailed the group in the best way.

Because our visit coincided with the beginning of harvest we weren't allowed inside the barrel storage room, but we could peek through the glass. They use a combination of new and used handmade French oak barrels, and red varietals use the newer barrels. The refrigerated fermentation tanks hold an average of 16,000 bottles each and were ready and waiting for the white grapes being harvested that day. Eight full-time staff and 12 seasonal interns were working 10 to 12 hour days, six days a week during harvest. The concrete fermentation tanks' egg shape creates natural stirring during active fermentation to keep yeast well distributed.