Allora Vineyards was established in 1999. The proprietors of Allora Vineyards are Terry and Nancy Klein. They manage their winemaking business along with their children, Kelly and Christopher Klein.
Terry Klein was born in San Francisco and moved to St. Helena, California when he was 13 years old. Since St. Helena is the heart of the famous Napa Valley wine-growing region, Terry developed a deep appreciation and interest in fine wine as he was growing up. After living in New York for a short period of time and getting married, Terry and Nancy moved back to California and made their permanent home in St. Helena. Although the Kleins established a very successful plastering business, their long-time dream was to make a quality wine of their own. In 1998 the Kleins came across a 15-acre parcel on the north end of St. Helena, which had been used as pasturage for over 50 years. The soil was ideal for a vineyard since it was sandy loam and clay. They purchased it and immediately began to prepare it for a vineyard. Part of the preparation included consulting the notable growers in the Napa Valley who helped hand select rootstock and clonal varieties
Presently, 10 acres of grapevines are planted on the Klein's estate. Eight acres are Cabernet Sauvignon vines, and the remaining two acres are Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah. Additionally, the planting style is unique since the vines are grown closely together which forces each plant to produce only a small amount of fruit of the highest quality possible. Allora's vineyard was planted in the spring of 2000, so the first harvest was in the fall of 2002. As a result, the fruit that was used to make the Allora "Tresca" wines in the years past came from various appellations in the Napa Valley. Interestingly, the land that the vines are growing on was previously unplanted for over 75 years.
