Pilcrow is a love letter to the Napa Valley circa 1955 wherein we celebrate handicraft in wine.
Our wines are high-toned, SAVORY, place-driven, organically grown, OLD-SCHOOL, low oak, LOWER IN ALCOHOL, bright, ZERO RESIDUAL SUGAR, and long-lived. In other words; our wines will not only transport you to the Napa Valley they’ll take you back in time. Like getting into the DeLorean with Doc Brown.
The Wines We Grow
-
![An image of Glass Rock vineyard.]()
Glass Rock
Coombsville, Napa Valley
-
![An image of Archer & Byrd Vineyard]()
Archer & Byrd
Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley
-
![An Image of Granite Lake vineyard.]()
Granite Lake
Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
-
![An image of Ghost Block Vineyard.]()
Ghost Block
Yountville, Napa Valley
Discover
Take a Google Earth Tour of the Pilcrow Vineyards
Granite Lake
Howell Mountain
2023
99 points | Decanter
94 points | Wine Advocate
2022
98 points | Decanter
95 points | Wine Advocate
“This is Howell Mountain reimagined – a wine that makes you fall in love with the region all over again, but in an entirely different way. Gorgeously red-fruited, with rose petal nuances and a symphony of mineral intensity evocative of walking through a redwood grove, it carries notes of loamy earth and redwood bark, alongside vivid tobacco and elegant cedar character. Mineral-laced tannins frame a surge of blood orange acidity, revealing a charming, vibrant and energetic expression. … it has the acid verve to cut through even the most tender filet mignon, perhaps even acting as the salt itself were the dish under-seasoned. Just gorgeous.” 2023 Granite Lake
- Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter
Glass Rock
Coombsville
2023
93 points | Wine Advocate
2022
95 points | Decanter
94 points | Wine Advocate
“From a dry-farmed, organically grown, non-hedged, no-till vineyard that sits along the stair-step of another nested megaslide. The soils offer a geological mosaic of silica-rich rock—ranging from red jasper to white quartz to multi-coloured agate. Over-wintering cows and dedicated habitat corridors make this site a model for truly regenerative farming.”
- Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter
“From a Coombsville site, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Glass Rock weighs in at just 12.3% alcohol, but it shows slightly darker fruit than the Archer & Byrd wine from Mount Veeder. Cassis and blueberries appear on the nose of this medium-bodied effort. It's racy and fresh, with a long finish framed by silky tannins.”
- Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
Ghost Block
Yountville
2023
94 points | Wine Advocate
2022
96 points | Decanter
91 points | Wine Advocate
“Balanced, with great presence and sheer drinkability, it’s a wine to enjoy now while the Coombsville and Mt. Veeder cuvées continue to slumber in the cellar. From a CCOF organically farmed vineyard that sits on the lower slopes of “Yountville Hill,” a former mountain peak that once towered above the Stags Leap District.”
- Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter
“This Yountville site has yielded a slightly more generous wine than Pilcrow's other 2023 offerings, weighing in at 13.2% alcohol. Crushed stone accents cassis and black cherries in this medium-bodied wine. Silky-textured and reasonably expansive on the palate, with a lingering finish, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Ghost Block is the most approachable of the vintage's four Pilcrow Cabernets.”
- Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
Archer & Byrd
Mt. Veeder
2023
91+ points | Wine Advocate
2022
97 points | Decanter
91 points | Wine Advocate
“From a dry‑farmed, organically grown, no‑till vineyard atop blue shale and ancient seabed soils, this wine honours Mt Veeder conservationists Drs Archer Taylor and Hasseltine Byrd, who preserved 161 ha of nearby redwood forest.”
- Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter
From a south-facing site on Mount Veeder, Pilcrow's 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Archer & Byrd combines hints of crushed stone, dried herbs and dusty earth with a core of cherry fruit. This medium-bodied wine (labeled at 12.9% alcohol) is tart and intense, even racy in character, with a long, vibrant and tangy finish.
- Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
Request an Allocation
We adore letters, emails, text messages, comments on IG—all of it. We love hearing from you, so please drop us a line.
If you’d like to join the Pilcrow fam, please fill out the Allocation Request form below and we’ll get you on the list.
About
“Our goal is to make the best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon of the 1950s.”
We fell in love with the Napa Valley over two decades ago. And, much to the dismay of the cynical, we have seen our joy and adoration of this valley (and its characters) deepen and become enriched over the years. We find inspiration in the valley's past and the wines made by the icons of the 50s, 60s and 70s like Lee Stewart, Nathan Fay, Bob Travers, Bob Sessions, Al Brounstein, and so many more.
It is through Pilcrow that we demonstrate our love of quiet wines—ones that value grace and thoughtfulness and that amplify terroir. By searching for, valuing, and safeguarding the differentiating characteristics of each vineyard we stay alert, as winemakers, to the exceptional possibilities of each wine. And we do it all analog.
We’d like to thank the many mentors and thoughtful vintners like Jean-Michel Comme, Jean-Nicolas Méo, Maria Teresa Mascarello, Marco DiGiulio, Keith Emerson, Toshiaki Wakayama, and Trevor Chlanda whom have helped define, challenge, and develop the wine itself. To all of these real-life icons (and to the mentors-in-a-bottle we never got to meet) we thank you for enriching our lives and teaching us well.