Made using grapes from a sustainably certified estate program that includes four historic vineyards, as well as fruit from the top growers, we produce four acclaimed collections of wine: our pinnacle red Bordeaux blend, The Character, as well as our Marked Parcels, District Series and Napa Valley wines.
The Character
The most sought-after wine we produce and the pinnacle of the Markham portfolio, The Character embodies everything that we have learned about growing Bordeaux varieties in Napa Valley since our founding almost a half century ago. Crafted as a block and barrel selection of the most alluring and majestic wines from our four estate vineyards, this Merlot-driven red blend features all five red Bordeaux varieties. Patiently aged for as long as 30 months in 100% new French oak barrels, The Character is a soulful and intriguing wine recognized for its artful union of complexity and elegance. A wine of power and place, this limited-production treasure is available exclusively in our Napa Valley Tasting Room or through our Markham Vineyards Wine Club.
Marked Parcels
As our winemaker for the past quarter-century, Kimberlee Nicholls possesses an intimate and insightful understanding of every block of our four estate vineyards, all of which have been replanted to Kimberlee’s specifications over the years. In 2017, with the goal of taking full advantage of her expertise with these sites and others, we unveiled our small-production Marked Parcels collection to spotlight the finest examples of vineyard block and grape variety each vintage. “These are my favorite wines to make,” says Kimberlee. “They are about being in tune with the vineyards, recognizing the very best blocks, and making wines that have a deep and nuanced sense of place.”
Kimberlee doesn’t always know what Marked Parcels wines she will make in a given vintage. “As I walk the vineyards throughout the season, I start to hone in on specific blocks that are particularly exciting and I continue to evaluate each block, lot and barrel throughout fermentation and aging with an eye on ones that demand to be bottled on their own.” While most Marked Parcels wines focus on Markham’s estate vineyards, sometimes the wines from our long-time grower partners are equally alluring and merit a Marked Parcels bottling. While some Marked Parcels wines are made only in a single vintage, others like our Bryan’s Block Cabernet Sauvignon come from extraordinarily high-quality blocks that are worthy of being Marked Parcels every year.
District Series
At Markham, our estate program features 260 acres of vineyards and land spread out over four historic vineyards in three of Napa Valley’s acclaimed sub-appellations: Calistoga, Yountville and Oak Knoll. While our estate program is extremely diverse, Napa Valley is even more diverse with a total of 17 nested appellations (AVAs), with each one designated for its unique soils, elevation, climate and more.
With our District Series, Kimberlee’s goal is to explore and highlight unique expressions of specific grape varieties in Napa Valley’s widely varied terroirs. “Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon grown in Yountville can be very different than when grown in Oakville, Oak Knoll or St. Helena. With our District Series, we are able to shine a light on specific pairing of grape variety and region. These wines are a fascinating way to build an understanding of Napa Valley’s AVAs and to explore how varietal character changes from place to place.” Stylistically, Kimberlee works to accentuate the bright, fruit forward character of our District Series wines, emphasizing judicious new French oak and enough natural acidity to pair beautifully with an array of cuisines.
Napa Valley
For almost half a century, our Napa Valley wines have been our calling card, introducing wine enthusiasts around the world to the wines of Markham Vineyards. Like the trailblazers who built our stone cellar winery in 1879, these wines embody Markham’s pioneering spirit and our passion for exploring the rich diversity of the extraordinary Napa Valley wine region.
While our Napa Valley wines are somewhat larger in production, they are crafted with the same meticulous attention to detail as our other collections, including extensive use of fruit from our estate vineyards and barrel aging in French oak for every wine. Made to be generous and approachable in their youth, our Napa Valley wines generally feature modest new oak and a mix of estate fruit and grapes from long-time grower partners, many of whom we have worked with for decades. Prized for their quality and value, our Napa Valley wines are the perfect way to discover Markham Vineyards