Terra Valentine was founded in 1996 by Angus and Margaret Wurtele when they purchased a stunning property on Spring Mountain just west of the town of St. Helena, naming the winery Terra Valentine after Angus’ father, Valentine, and one of the vineyards, Wurtele, after their family’s last name. In 1999, they hired Phil Baxter as Winemaker (formerly of Charles Krug) and his son Sam to work as Cellar Master, and together they took the lead on making these historic Terra Valentine wines from their terraced hillside vineyards that were planted at around 2,000 feet in elevation. Sam Baxter, quite literally grew up among the grapevines in Saint Helena, most often found just a few small steps behind his father, Phil, a legendary winemaker starting in the late 1960s in the Napa Valley. Sam began working in wineries as a young teenager and began learning the art of blending from his father at the age of 16. After graduating from the University of California in Davis with a degree in Fermentation Science in 1998, Sam worked abroad in Australia before returning to his hometown of Napa Valley when he joined his father as Cellar Master at Terra Valentine.
The doors of the winery opened to the public in 2002 and since then they have garnered incredible recognition for their wines. In 2013, Angus and Margaret recognized it was time for them to step down and ease towards retirement, and therefore selling the physical winery and one of their two vineyards to the Jackson Family. Less than one year later, after 15 years of working closely with Sam and his father successfully developing a world-class wine business, Sam and his wife Angela, realized it was their time to shine and purchased the Terra Valentine brand from the Wurtele’s to continue the legacy of these wines that Sam had been part of crafting since 1999. At the same time, he and his wife Angela founded Foretell Wines to showcase his reserve-selected barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. Sam and Angela eventually found their dream property atop Spring Mountain in 2015, with 112- acres of cascading hillsides, 90% of which fall on the Napa side and 10% on the Sonoma side where they craft the wines from both brands seamlessly. They call it Spring Mountain Summit. Here they have started planted new vineyards, while also continuing to source fruit around both Sonoma and Napa Valley from trusted growers and vintner partners they have had relationships with for several years.
Angela, a Marin County native, attended UC Davis in 1997 where she met Sam, six months prior to graduation. With a degree in Dietetics, she interned in Napa and became a Registered Dietitian in 2001. She married Sam in 2003 and they now have 3 children, Tommy, Alice, and Hudson. Her love of wine, food, and family made her a natural fit for Terra Valentine. For over 20 years, Angela has been involved with tasting Terra Valentine wines with husband Sam prior to bottling. It was here she developed a strong palate and sense for the characteristics of the wines and how they are produced.
From the Wurtele, Bales Creek and Gantner Vineyards on Spring Mountain, the 2015 bottling is composed of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 4% Merlot. Hand harvested in the middle of the night, then gently de-stemmed back in the winery, whole berries were transferred to stainless steel tanks to cold soak for 48 hours. Following a 21-day fermentation on the skins, Sam aged the wine for 18 months in 66% new French oak barrels. Aromas of boysenberry, plum and mulberry are intertwined with notes of clove, caramel and cocoa powder. Bold and forward fruit tannins greet the palate balanced with ripe acidity and richness on the mid-palate that carries to a long and classically styled finish. 975 cases produced.
