Saint Helena Real Estate: Vineyards, Vineyard Estates & Wineries

The Saint Helena real estate market is a blend of lifestyle and commerce. There are world class wineries and restaurants surrounded by plush vineyards and quaint shops. Here you will find historic Saint Helena intertwined with new modern chic style and elegance. Saint Helena is the hub of upper valley where locals mingle with tourists. Saint Helena real estate is pricing is at premium due to its reputation, beauty, quality of life and amenities. The vineyards in the area produce excellent wine grapes and the wineries are world renowned. All these factors add up to a premium in Saint Helena.

pond and vineyard saint helena

Take a moment to review Saint Helena properties  and learn more about David Ashcraft. If you would like to sell your Saint Helena property David would enjoy the opportunity to discuss this with you. If you are looking for Saint Helena real properties David would like to help you find your dream property. 34 Reasons to visit Saint Helena.

Be sure to check out these areas for more details and much more information about Napa and Sonoma Counties, and videos, educational articles (vineyards, wineries and real estate market), current wine country news and wine industry news, and wine country inventory.

Rutherford Real Estate: Vineyards, Vineyard Estates & Wineries

Rutherford real estate is one of the most premium growing regions in the world. When you hear of gold dust, in wine country locals refer to as Rutherford dust. Defining Rutherford Dust. Cabernet Sauvignon is the name of the game in Rutherford. Here is where you will find the historic Inglenook estate winery which was purchased and restored by Francis Ford Coppola, one of the more illustrious purchases of Rutherford wineries. Vineyards in this area go for top dollar pushing extreme values of $600,000 / acre. It is safe to say Rutherford real estate is not for the feint of heart.  Rutherford is located in the heart of the Napa Valley midway between Carneros and Calistoga.

valley floor vineyard view rutherford napa valley

Take a moment to review Rutherford properties and learn more about David Ashcraft. If you would like to sell your Rutherford property David would enjoy the opportunity to discuss this with you. If you are looking for Rutherford properties David would like to help you find your dream property.

Be sure to check out these areas for more details and much more information about Napa and Sonoma Counties, and videos, educational articles (vineyards, wineries and real estate market), current wine country news and wine industry news, and wine country inventory.

Oakville Real Estate: Vineyards, Vineyard Estates & Wineries

Oakville real estate is considered to be one of the most prized areas in the entire Napa Valley. The vineyards, vineyard estates and wineries that make up Oakville are extremely valuable and scarce. Tucked between Yountville and Rutherford Oakville is a small hamlet of sorts with few residences and and limited number of extremely high end vineyards, thus the Oakville area is highly coveted. The soils and climate in this part of the valley produce a tangible desire for Oakville real estate.  Driving through Oakville is almost like stepping back in time.

hillside vineyard oakville napa valley

Take a moment to review property for sale and learn more about David Ashcraft. If you would like to sell your Oakville property David would enjoy the opportunity to discuss this with you. If you are looking for an Oakville vineyard to purchase David would like to help you find your dream property.  Oakville;  A History of Napa Valley Brilliance.

Driving through Oakville is almost like stepping back in time.

Be sure to check out these areas for more details and much more information about Napa and Sonoma Counties, and videos, educational articles (vineyards, wineries and real estate market), current wine country news and wine industry news, and wine country inventory.

Napa vineyards for sale in Napa County

Finding vineyards for sale in Napa County is what David Ashcraft does. David has been working with clients for more than a decade to help them find vineyards for sale in Napa. Whether it is a buyer or seller, David has been able to focus on the most effective way to assess and promote Napa vineyards. Most of the time vineyards and vineyard estates are listed on the standard Multiple Listing Service.  However, often there are Napa vineyards that are only available behind the scenes. These quietly available vineyards are typically very high quality and often have their own branding / name recognition.  Napa vineyards for sale could be valued as high as $600,000 / acre in the Napa Valley.  Top quality vineyards for sale in the Sonoma County area have sold for as high as $225,000 / acre or more.

napa valley vineyard

Take a moment to review property for sale in our inventory and learn more about David Ashcraft. If you have a Napa vineyard for sale or would like to sell your vineyard David would enjoy the opportunity to discuss this with you. If you are looking for a Napa vineyard for sale David would like to help you find vineyard to fit your vision.   History of wine in the Napa Valley.

Be sure to check out these areas for more details and much more information about Napa and Sonoma Counties.   Also videos, educational articles (vineyards, wineries and real estate market).  Be sure to check out current wine country news and wine industry news, and wine country inventory.

Napa Valley Real Estate: Vineyards, Vineyard Estates & Wineries

Finding Napa Valley properties is what David Ashcraft does. David has been working with clients for more than a decade to help them find properties in Napa.  David has been helping buyers get the most out of their Napa Valley real estate search. The Napa Valley ranges from the cool climate area of the Carneros region, all the way through Yountville, St. Helena and up to Calistoga. The temperature rises as you move north towards Calistoga.   Vineyards, vineyard estates and wineries make up the majority of Napa Valley transactions. If you are looking for Napa Valley estate then look no further.

vineyards and mountains napa valley

Take a moment to Napa Valley properties and learn more about David Ashcraft. If you would like to sell your NapaValley property David would enjoy the opportunity to discuss this with you. If you are looking for a vineyard for sale in Napa or Sonoma County David would like to help you find vineyard to fit your vision.  A Guide To Napa Valley.

Be sure to check out these areas for more details and much more information about Napa and Sonoma Counties, and videos, educational articles (vineyards, wineries and real estate market), current wine country news and wine industry news, and wine country inventory.

Calistoga Real Estate: Vineyards, Vineyard Estates & Wineries

The very northern part of the Napa Valley will present you with Calistoga real estate. Calistoga sits at the warmest part of the valley and the most distant from the city of San Francisco. Because of the warm / hot climate most of the vineyards are red varietals that enjoy the heat, some like it hot! There is a good deal of history here as well, Chateau Montelena is located in this part of the valley. Chateau Montelana is one of the wineries responsible for putting the Napa Valley on the global wine map. This area is still a bit laid back compared to areas farther south but Calistoga real estate is very desirable and has the beauty and quality vineyard located in other parts of the valley.  More recently Calistoga is becoming a bustling location with new resorts and restaurants.

vineyard estate calistoga napa valley

Take a moment to review properties for sale in Calistoga our inventory and learn more about David Ashcraft. If you would like to sell your Calistoga real estate David would enjoy the opportunity to discuss this with you. If you are looking for Calistoga real estate David would like to help you find your dream property.  Calistoga is for Foodies.

Be sure to check out these areas for more details and much more information about Napa and Sonoma Counties, and videos, educational articles (vineyards, wineries and real estate market), current wine country news and wine industry news, and wine country inventory.

Giving Thanks, Fall 2008

Now that the harvest is complete, we’re tucking the vines in for a winters rest.  Time to maintain our equipment for another season and starting to reflect back over the year’s events.  A quick reminder that wine country is a beautiful place to live.  What a  year it has been.  Last spring had everyone running in circles.  Frost, rain, heat and cold all occurring within one month. Now, as the tail end of the growing season is coming to an end and we are fairly confident most folks are glad the hard part of the year is behind us. Looking forward it is time to celebrate the holiday season.  It is time to get little rest and relaxation thrown in for good measure. As always we take this time to give thanks and ponder what the next year has in store for us.

vineyard estate lake golden hills wine country

Reflecting on the past growing season, fraught with many challenges, helps us put this season in perspective. By doing so we’re able to take the proverbial crystal ball out of storage, dust it off, and see what kind of projections we’re able to conjure up.

The Trend Is Your Friend, Or Is It?

One of the most certain trends we are going to see is the relationship between grower and winery.  The will go through yet another transition.  The phrase “How do you like me now?” comes to mind when envisioning a grower and a winery (grower relations) sitting at the negotiating table.  The grower is emboldened by the much known and publicized coming of what could be a massive shortage of wine grapes for the wine market, especially for premium grapes from Napa and Sonoma Counties.  Once again the tide is turning and there is a silver lining for the growers.  We feel that most all varietals will increase in price, even the Merlot market is starting to move in the right direction.  Our crystal ball says that the end of 2009 looks to be a much better year than 2008, for most farmers.  Even with the current economic crisis, we feel there will be price appreciation for most if not all varietals.  Of course the depth and longevity of the downturn will remain a wildcard.

While it appears that the “sky is falling”, and the hinges are definitely a little “loose” in the overall economy, our little niche of vineyard and winery sales continues to move along albeit at a more reserved pace.  Wine buyers will be more  conservative in their spending, reigning in sales, but our crystal ball rightly points out that no one will stop drinking wine.  Most consumers will move to lower price points and some may even buy less wine, but drink wine they will.  For the consumer there’s likely to be great values and bargains, and the beat goes on.  If we can collectively keep our heads and wits about us we will make it through this set back, as the great Bacchus might have once said “One bottle at a time”.

The French Are Coming!

Part of what makes this wild ride so interesting is the influx of money from abroad in the last year.  We have numerous clients from Europe, mostly French Winery owners that are looking for a special opportunity.  Some might call it an invasion but it is exciting to see that there is so much interest from across the pond.  In addition some might even call acceptance and even, dare we say, appreciation. C’est magnifique!

Did You Know?

Here’s an interesting side note…. after seeing the movie Bottle Shock which was loosely based on the tasting of Paris in 1976  (that really put Napa & Chateau Montelena Winery on the map by winning a blind tasting against numerous French wines) our curiosity  was stirred.  Where did the grapes come from that made the famous bottle of 1973 Chardonnay?  After a bit of detective work (think Inspector Clouseau) we had heard everything from the source being Estate Grapes, to blends from Napa and Sonoma as well as several far out ideas of where they came from.

An interesting clue but somewhat misleading is that the bottle is labeled “Napa-Alex”.  This is with regards to where the grapes came from. Still, there was no clear answer and it appeared that we were going to have to dig a little deeper to solve this mystery. So, as any good detective might do, I put a call into the source, Bo Barrett at Chateau Montelena, to get the real story.

Just a little bit of trivia to ponder.

The real story is that the grapes that won the number one chardonnay in the world, tasted by all French judges in the 1976 Paris tasting came from two vineyards.  One part from the Hanna Vineyards on Orchard Road, Napa.   Thee other part of the grapes came from Bacigalupi Vineyards in Alexander Valley. Chef d’ceuvre!

Sooooooooooooooo, one may say that Sonoma had a little to do with that Napa award as well.

You might be asking yourself, what took the French so long to come and buy out their American competitors? If asked, the response would likely have something to do with the value of the Euro vs. the Dollar.  Or, Napa and Sonoma are now beating them at every tasting event. Although somewhere in the message is the unquestionable quality of Napa and Sonoma wines.

Aside from the French, we are seeing buyers / investors from all over.  There has been interest from Russia, China, Viet Nam, Canada and even Central America.  Seems there is a world-wide thirst for our wine country.

Thanks!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  Between the intoxicating smell of fermentation in the air I can almost smell a  freshly baked pecan pie, roasted turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes.  We live in one of the most blessed areas of the world.  So far, we haven’t been wiped out by tornados, hurricanes, floods or other natural disasters like many of our fellow countrymen during the past year.  It is a pleasure to wake up every morning and overlook our beautiful wine country. We also enjoy nearly perfect weather year round.  We have the greatest wineries and restaurants in the world at  our fingertips.  Last but certainly not least this has to be one of the greatest places to raise a family.  We are very grateful to be able to live in the Northern California Wine Country.

This time of year is a great time to reflect back on the years happenings, both good and bad.  As long as we have our health, and are happy with our lives, success is sure to follow.  We have met many new people in the last few years and learned about different cultures from around the world.  We’ve made new friends, built new relationships and found exciting new opportunities.  We also remember old, tried and true friends and business relationships that have allowed us to prosper in the wine country.  And don’t forget, wine country is a beautiful place to live.