Felicia Woytak’s ten-year search for the perfect Napa Valley estate concluded in 2015 when she fell in love with a 796-acre estate at the base of The Palisades cliffs on the eastern edge of Calistoga. A home winemaker who had found inspiration in agritourism during a visit to Italy many years ago, Woytak sought a piece of land where she could farm wine grapes with integrity. She found it in this narrow riparian canyon, surrounded by thousands of acres of rugged, natural splendor. The property featured an historic dry-farmed vineyard, and an 1881 farmhouse standing opposite a ghost winery—Bonded Winery No. 118.
Taken with the property’s sheer beauty, she became fascinated with the estate’s history and viticultural legacy that dates to the 1870s, when James Horn, a Scottish immigrant, first planted a vineyard on the site. In 1906, after a number of previous varied owners, Gilda and Domenico Barberis, immigrants from Italy, bought the property. This duo extended the vineyard and planted prune plums, calling the site Palisades Vineyard, and in 1915, they built Bonded Winery No. 118, making wine there before (and quietly during) Prohibition. In 1932, just ten months before the end of Prohibition, the “Revenuers” smashed their tanks, revoked their bond, and shut down the winery. Gilda and Domenico’s son, Frank Barberis, continued to farm the vineyard, selling grapes to other winemakers until 1992 when he sold to Anne Carver. Carver and her husband Denis Sutro grew grapes, made wine, and preserved and restored the old farm buildings. With their neighbors, they protected 528 acres of their wilderness parcels with a conservation easement, ensuring the region’s natural beauty for future generations.
“As Palisades Canyon’s current stewards, it is a privilege to help maintain it in its raw and wonderful state and to continue the heritage farming traditions of those who farmed the canyon before us.” Felicia Woytak
With her purchase of the property in 2015, Woytak, with her husband Steve Rasmussen, began a conversion to organic, heritage farming. Avid hikers, their history of rugged outdoor experiences proved excellent preparation for stewarding such a place. In the steep terrain around the vineyard, they cleared forgotten fire roads and built new hiking trails to welcome neighbors and the community. Along Horns Creek, they planted oaks and hedge rows of native, pollinator-friendly plants. Under the banner of the Horns Canyon Outdoor Education Project, Rasmussen teamed with the education staff of Napa County Resource Conservation District to bring local school students to the property to study geology, farming, and land conservation. He also leads wildflower walks on the canyon trails with the Napa County branch of the California Native Plant Society. He and Woytak also added a goat herd and a llama that serve a dual purpose— grazing for wildfire prevention and charming vineyard guests.
“Felicia is a person who is self-motivated, self-taught, and always learning,” says Rasmussen, an education professional and co-founder, CEO, and publisher of Key Curriculum Press. “She never does the same thing twice. She’s not afraid to plunge in.”
“Likewise, Steven has an absolute dedication to the property, working with neighbors on wildlife preparedness and mitigation, maintaining fire roads, and converting burned trees from the 2020 Glass Fire to usable lumber,” adds Woytak. “He maintains 15 miles of hiking trails throughout Palisades Canyon, working with the Resource Conservation District, Calistoga Fire Safe Council, and Napa Valley Native Plant Society to further the twin aims of preservation and education.”
And beyond such conservation efforts, Woytak and Rasmussen began making wine, with the help of fourth-generation Napa winemaker, grapegrower, and historian Graeme MacDonald. This Fall, the duo will release of their first bottlings from their Calistoga estate vineyard, under their Palisades Canyon label. Each wine, a 2021 Chenin Blanc ($75), 2021 Petite Sirah ($75), and 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon ($150) pays homage to a different era of winemaking in Napa Valley. The Chenin Blanc honors an all-but-forgotten treasured grape that was the dominant white in Napa Valley just 50 years ago. The Petite Sirah, planted in the 1960s, pays tribute to the vineyard’s storied past. And the Cabernet Sauvignon brings the property into Napa Valley’s modern winemaking epoch. (The Cabernet Sauvignon and the Chenin Blanc will be released to the winery’s mailing list on October 8, and the Petite Sirah will be released in February 2025.)
MacDonald’s winemaking reflects the rich heritage of Napa Valley, and specifically of the estate. He farms and makes wine from his family’s historic To-Kalon property in Oakville, under the MACDONALD label, utilizing minimal intervention technique. His gentle approach to reds produces wines that are restrained yet fresh and delicious. He doesn’t strive for “typicity;” he strives for “specificity” and “authenticity,” crafting wines that reflect the spectacular sites on which the grapes are grown, such as the Palisades Vineyard.
“Together, with Graeme and our vineyard manager, Josh Clark, we have an amazing team working together to produce exceptional wine that truly expresses this place,” says Woytak. “Living here in the middle of the vineyard allows us to watch carefully over the development of the vines and grapes from the first buds in the season through harvest. We can check on and maintain the health of the old head-trained vines and carefully watch over the development of the new vines. Yet, Palisades Canyon is so much more than wine. As its current stewards, it is a privilege to help maintain it in its raw and wonderful state and to continue the heritage farming traditions of those who farmed the canyon before us.”
Photos by Jimmy Hayes for JBH Photo except where noted