Firetree Vineyard Los Carneros
Near the northern boundary of Carneros in Napa, away from highway 121, the hills become higher and steeper, the climate slightly sunnier yet balanced with cool wind, the soils, well-drained loams derived from sandstone and shale. Firetree Vineyards produces Chardonnay with personality as distinctive as the place where it is grown.
Since 1988, Firetree Vineyards has been called a 'diamond in the rough,' exhibiting tremendous potential as a world-class site in Napa Valley’s Carneros region. This thoughtfully established, deeply rooted, and expertly farmed Chardonnay vineyard thrives in this distinctive site. The Jimenez family continues their commitment to responsible farming practices with Napa Green and Fish Friendly Farming certifications, as well as implementing a California Native pollinator permanent cover crop plan and introducing grazing baby doll sheep throughout their 28 acres of meticulously farmed estate vineyard land.
Map of Firetree Vineyards
A Brief History of Firetree Vineyards
Giuseppe A. Sciligo purchased the property in 1884 and had established 28 acres of vineyard by 1886. Sciligo lived on the property for more than 50 years and sadly, saw his vineyard destroyed by Phylloxera in the late 1890’s. Giuseppe never replanted and passed away in 1935, leaving the property to his son, who, after selling off some portions of the property, sold the remaining acreage in 1943.
Throughout the next 30 years, the land was bought and sold several times with additional property splits. At one point, a portion of the property served as a non-profit vocational and residential center for children with special needs.
In 1979, a mostly undeveloped portion of the property was sold to Michael and Helen O’Hara. The O’Hara’s had vineyard ambitions, and by 1988, they had planted 7 acres of Chardonnay on the vineyard they called Firetree--because the twisting oak tree that sits atop the vineyard was struck by lightning and briefly caught fire during a storm--and then abruptly decided to sell the same year to Silverado Vineyards.
Silverado Vineyards coined Firetree Vineyards a “diamond in the rough” because of the sites’ unique conditions and deeply fruited, structured grapes, which became a valuable component in Silverado Vineyards Napa Valley Chardonnay.
The Jimenez family purchased Firetree Vineyards from Silverado Vineyards in 2021 and hired famed winemaker Julien Fayard. They retained Walsh Vineyard Management and their vineyard manager, Benjamin Leachman, who has overseen the farming at Firetree for many years. Together, this team is realizing the vineyard’s potential and highlighting the uniqueness of this site for Chardonnay, and recent plantings of Pinot Noir and Syrah.
