Mentzendorff welcomes Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery to the Portfolio
Mentzendorff is delighted to announce the recent addition of Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, one of Napa Valley’s most legendary wineries winegrowing estates, to its portfolio from January 2025.
The Spottswoode Estate Vineyard has a long history, dating back to 1882 when the first wine grapes were planted on the site. The Estate changed hands several times over the years until 1972, when an important new chapter began following the acquisition by Mary and Jack Novak who moved from North San Diego County to St. Helena in search of a more rural setting in which to raise their five children. Tragically, in 1977 Jack passed away leaving Mary to decide – against the odds – to stay at Spottswoode and pursue their vision for growing grapes and producing wines.
The inaugural vintage of its Estate Cabernet was the 1982 – Spottswoode has, thus, crafted over forty vintages since its founding. Over the years, Mary, along with her daughters Beth (who joined in 1987) and Lindy (1992) led the Estate to where it is today, establishing it as a Napa Valley pioneer and innovator, quietly leading by example and emerging as one of the industry’s most stalwart advocates for the environment. Examples include Spottswoode being one of the earliest wineries to earn CCOF organic certification in 1992 and becoming a member of 1% for the Planet in 2007 amongst others. Most recently, Spottswoode earned the coveted B Corp certification, the first winery in Napa Valley to do so, meaning the winery has achieved the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance.
Today, Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery has earned recognition as one of the few wineries with the terroir, tradition, and track record of excellence to merit comparisons to the great first-growths of Bordeaux. Beyond the iconic quality of its Estate Vineyard and reputation for producing some of the world’s greatest Cabernet Sauvignon, what defines Spottswoode most is the Novak family. Building on this foundation in the wake of their mother’s death in 2016, Beth and Lindy Novak have continued to chart a visionary, forward-looking course for Spottswoode. Today, the Estate is still proudly run by the Novak family. Beth is Spottswoode’s President and CEO and has been a strong and effective voice for the Napa Valley wine community for decades. Her sister, Lindy, is Marketing Ambassador and Environmental Liaison, sharing her sister’s strong environmental sensibility and commitment to spreading the message about Spottswoode’s environmental leadership.
Reflecting on this recent addition, Mentzendorff Managing Director, Justin Liddle, says: “It is with great pleasure that we announce the addition of Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery to our Portfolio. We are incredibly lucky to already work with so many exceptional producers, and to be able to welcome such a legendary producer as Spottswoode with first-growth quality wines is a true honour. Their commitment to achieving the highest standards of excellence and being a true pioneer for sustainability and the health of the natural environment really does set them apart.”
Beth Novak, Spottswoode’s President and CEO, says: “We are extremely excited and honoured that Spottswoode is among the wonderful winegrowing estates represented by Mentzendorff, a company with a deep history in the wine industry. Their culture mirrors ours, and their commitment to sharing wines of only the highest quality with their consumers is a testament to their belief in wines that authentically represent time and place. The UK is so important to Spottswoode – our Estate Cabernet has been available there since 1987. We are thrilled to be working with the team at Mentzendorff, now and into the distant future.”
This new addition is the second US producer added to the Mentzendorff Portfolio in the past year, with Oregon based, Ponzi Vineyards, joining Mentzendorff in 2024 following the acquisition by the Bollinger Family Groupe several years earlier.
The wines of Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery are available in the UK from Independent Fine Wine Merchants.