The Schramsberg Soap Opera

Published on Wednesday, January 23, 2008, by Daniel Duane / Edit Post

So I read the headline in last Friday’s San Francisco Chronicle, “Bitter Harvest: Soap Opera-Style Feud Splits Wine Dynasty, Stuns Napa Valley,” and the story was a salacious one: an elderly matriarch who may or not have dementia, and may or may not be playing favorites among her children, and may or may not be depriving one of those children of his rightful share of the family estate. The piece caught my eye because I have a special fondness for Schramsberg—I write about its wines with regularity—and my fondness dates back almost to the day I could drink legally. Right after I graduated from college, and committed to savoring life while I could, I met a pretty girl and fell in love. Her name was Julie—we’re still friends—and back then we drove around California a lot, in my truck. We slept on beaches near Mendocino and we took long walks at Point Reyes; we foraged for mushrooms in the redwoods and backpacked in the Sierra. She wanted to be a chef, and she introduced me to a lot of great food.

On one of those peripatetic California road trips, we were passing through the Napa Valley, where my Uncle Jim was a sales rep for Trefethen and Schramsberg. I’d been rock climbing a lot with Jim, and he was helping me get started as a surfer, so he was well aware of my travel schedule and he arranged winery tours for me at both places. This felt pretty special at age 21, with my girl. I still remember the cool air and clean, woody aroma of the winemaking rooms at Trefethen. I remember also the tour of the caves at Schramsberg. Julie and I loved being shown into those underground caverns, and because we were young lefties, we tried to decide how we should think about the fact that low-paid Chinese laborers had done all the digging. (No conclusions, just a kind of obligatory musing.) As we left Schramsberg that day, our gracious guide gave us a bottle of blanc de blancs, which I’m sure we opened on a beach somewhere that very night.

I also remember hearing that Schramsberg had been served at the White House, and that Nixon had brought some to China; this made me proud, by association. And when I began buying bubbly again for myself, a couple of years ago, I turned naturally to my old friend. I’ve since become a committed fan. I try always to have a few bottles in my cellar, and the only occasion I need to open one is a desire to drink sparkling wine and at least one other person who is in the same mood.

So I read the Schramsberg article intently, eager to learn something about a place I consider an important star in my personal wine firmament, a landmark on my mental map of the California I love. And here’s what I felt I learned about Schramsberg: nothing, except that human beings own the place. There isn’t a family on Earth immune to these sorts of tensions: Wealth always threatens to have a divisive effect on children—somebody always feels that he isn’t getting his share. The only difference here is that the winery is one of California’s finest, and it remains closely held by one family, and so any back-fence gossip can be blown up into a catchy headline. Hey, it certainly got my attention, but it didn’t stop me from buying yet another bottle of Schramsberg’s blanc de noirs, just so I’m ready the next time the mood strikes.

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  • It should be noted that Jamie Davies passed away earlier this week (Tuesday) at her Napa Valley home. The obit is on page B-5 of the SF Chronicle today, or can be seen at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/14/BAFQV1PMG.DTL&hw=Jamie+Davies&sn=001&sc=1000

  • First, a response to ChefJune: I drank Trefethen's wines for many years, in my twenties--with the same friend I've mentioned here. Through my uncle, we would buy cases of the Eshcol blends, and also of the Cabernet and Chardonnay. I had no idea how good I had it, is the truth. Not a clue! I just new I loved drinking wine with my spaghetti every night at our tiny apartment. But I haven't had their...+READ

    First, a response to ChefJune: I drank Trefethen's wines for many years, in my twenties--with the same friend I've mentioned here. Through my uncle, we would buy cases of the Eshcol blends, and also of the Cabernet and Chardonnay. I had no idea how good I had it, is the truth. Not a clue! I just new I loved drinking wine with my spaghetti every night at our tiny apartment. But I haven't had their wines in a long time. Makes me think I should track them down again, catch up.

    And ... zin1953, those are nice memories about Jack and Jamie Davies, and they give me a better picture. Also, thanks for letting me know that you know/knew my uncle Jim. He's a great guy, and my interest in wine does indeed begin with him. He has been a very important figure in my life.-COLLAPSE

  • >>> And here’s what I felt I learned about Schramsberg: nothing, except that human beings own the place. There isn’t a family on Earth immune to these sorts of tensions , , , <
    The article was in the news ("A") section -- indeed, on the front page. What would you expect to learn about any winery from the news section? The wine section, yes, but news???

    That said, it was (I thought) a reasonably...+READ

    >>> And here’s what I felt I learned about Schramsberg: nothing, except that human beings own the place. There isn’t a family on Earth immune to these sorts of tensions , , , <
    The article was in the news ("A") section -- indeed, on the front page. What would you expect to learn about any winery from the news section? The wine section, yes, but news???

    That said, it was (I thought) a reasonably well-done article about a legendary winery/wine family and the all-too-sad (and all-too-familiar) internal bickering that can destroy not just a winery, but families as well.

    Look at Charles Krug and that family feud. Look at Robert Mondavi yet again, and what prompted the sale to Constellation. Look at the family feud that split the Gallo family. And there are others . . . It's not limited to wine, of course, but it somehow feels more "personal" -- to us -- when it happens to a family/place we know about and love.

    Jack and Jamie Davies were a very regal couple, sort of "above the fray" if you will. Passionate about wine in general and, naturally, their wines in particular. But it was a "quiet" passion, a dignified passion. I still remember the discussion I had with them about calling their wine "Champagne" -- perhaps debate would be more like it. We didn't change our opinions -- it wasn't until after Jack's death that the word "champagne" came off the label -- but in spite of that difference of opinion, at least I came away from the discussion respecting their passion (if not their opinion).

    * * * * *

    On another, even more personal note: thanks for mentioning Jim's connection to Schramsberg/Trefethen. It was when he was a sales rep that we first met . . . .-COLLAPSE

  • so Daniel, how do you like Trefethen's wines? They're among my favorites in the Valley.

    I had similar feelings when I heard Forrest Tancer had left Iron Horse. That's MY favorite domestic sparkling. The wines are still good (altho much of what's being released now is still his wine) and it won't keep me from loving Wedding Cuvee.