Terra Valentine

Completed in 1970, the two-story, 17,000-square-foot winery is made of native stone and concrete. While the uniquely designed winery was in active use until the early 1980s, the reclusive nature of previous owner Fred Aves kept its existence largely secret. In 1999, Angus and Margaret Wurtele discovered the Spring Mountain gem, purchased the winery and surrounding vineyard and began refurbishments. State-of-the-art fermentation equipment and modern electricity and plumbing were added, while the winery’s stained glass, carved wood and other one-of-a-kind design features were preserved.

Angus and Margaret Wurtele appreciate the vitality of their young company, mentoring the staff at Terra Valentine to succeed at the challenges of mountain winemaking. “I would like to see our company energized and managed directly by young people who have the latest technical education, know the business and have the benefit of a group of advisors,” said Angus Wurtele. “In working with this young team, we are developing the next generation of winemakers and managers.”

Terra Valentine is blessed with two vineyards that capture the best of Spring Mountain District winegrowing: The Wurtele Vineyard, a 35-acre vineyard planted to cabernet sauvignon and Terra Valentine Vineyard, a 30-acre vineyard planted primarily to cabernet sauvignon. The vineyards are distinguished by a diversity of mountain terrain and vines that are well-adapted to the environment. While a mountainside vineyard presents many challenges, including a diversity of soils and ripening times, extensive hand labor and areas that are difficult to access, the reward is a wine filled with intense flavor and color.

Equipped with 15 automated punch-down fermentation tanks, Terra Valentine achieves high-quality, gentle extraction of their red grapes in an efficient and controlled environment. The result is a more uniform extraction of the cap (the layer of grape skins formed during fermentation), which means more color and pleasing flavors in the wine.

State-of-the-art technology enables Winemaker Sam Baxter to take cabernet production to the next level. But his modern approach is tempered with respect for tradition. This balance is especially important when addressing the unique challenges of mountain winemaking. “There are a lot of tannins and intensity in mountain fruit, and I think there is a tendency in mountain vineyards to over-extract,” explained Baxter. “We’re trying to develop a more balanced wine. The reward is producing a wine with intensity that is elegant and approachable. That’s what mountain fruit can give you when it’s reined in properly.”

Angus Wurtele envisions creating exceptional estate cabernet in his vineyards and winery in Napa Valley’s Spring Mountain District. To this vision he brings his own lifetime of business acumen.

After graduating from Stanford Business School in 1961, at age 27, Wurtele was asked to lead his family’s business, Minnesota, Paints, Inc. Within months of taking the helm, he had doubled the size of his company, and subsequently initiated a stock ownership plan for employees. At his retirement in 1995, the company, now called Valspar Corporation, was the fifth largest paint and coatings manufacturer in North America.

Having visited and enjoyed the Napa Valley often over the years, Wurtele and his wife, Margaret, knew it would provide the perfect place for retirement. In 1995, they bought a small hillside vineyard that had been planted in cabernet sauvignon and named it Wurtele Vineyard. In 1999, they bought Terra Valentine Vineyard—an 80-acre parcel located three miles above their hillside vineyard on Spring Mountain.

With his new young company, Wurtele has instilled the same values of quality management that brought him success in his first business. “Our number-one goal is to make the best cabernet sauvignon. Achieving that goal can only come from an organization committed to quality management in every aspect. In our case, this is built around exceptional vineyards, state-of-the-art winery equipment, and finding and keeping the best people in the industry with the highest standards of integrity.”

Margaret Wurtele is a woman of many talents. She has been a writer and publisher, patron of the arts, manager for a large charitable organization and full-time mother. The adventures and adversities of her life have converged to bring her with her husband, Angus Wurtele, to the Spring Mountain District of Napa Valley, where they devote their time and inspiration to creating Terra Valentine.

Having visited and enjoyed the Napa Valley often over the years, Wurtele and her husband, Angus, knew it would provide the perfect place for retirement. “I love gardening and I love the seasons,” says Wurtele, who is relishing both in the splendor of Spring Mountain. “I’ve always been in tune with the land. Moving to the garden means losing myself in an activity that is physical but also intuitive, where the process of decision making seems to bypass the brain and flow from the heart.”

As co-owner of Terra Valentine, Wurtele intends her wines to evidence the same balance, character and love of a place that she herself brings to the land.

Sam Baxter is one of the first of a new generation of Napa Valley winemakers. Baxter’s father, Terra Valentine General Manager Phil Baxter, created some of the early wines that brought notoriety to Napa Valley. A young Sam Baxter benefited from hands-on experience at the side of his father and others. He went on to study at the University of California, Davis. After graduating with a degree in fermentation science in 1998, Baxter took a harvest intern position at Sterling Vineyards and worked in Australia. He began with Terra Valentine as cellarmaster in July 1999 and was appointed winemaker in April 2002.

Baxter’s academic foundation places him among a new breed of high-tech winemakers. But his modern approach is tempered with strong respect for tradition. Striking the right balance between the science and art of winemaking influences all of Baxter’s efforts in producing wines that best express the unique character of the Spring Mountain appellation.

Terra Valentine General Manager Phil Baxter is passing his wisdom on to the next generation—which includes his son Sam Baxter, Terra Valentine’s winemaker. The task requires Baxter to guide without discouraging, to know when to stand firm and when to let go. In short, it requires much of the same gentle judgment he has applied to his wines for more than three decades.

Baxter’s career began in 1969 following his graduation from Fresno State. Beginning with Charles Krug and moving on to Souverain Rutherford (which became Rutherford Hill Winery) and Fife Vineyards, he mastered every niche of the wine business. In 1989, he started his own label, Philippe-Lorraine. A veteran of the wine business, Baxter brings decades of experience to Terra Valentine, where he works with the vineyard management team and is launching the winery’s marketing program.