The search for diversity and a lifestyle more in sync with their values led Jack and Mary Novak to pack up their five children and move from San Diego to St. Helena in 1972. Jack, a young physician, and Mary purchased Spottswoode, a 46-acre 1882 estate that included a stately Victorian home along with classic gardens and vineyards.
German immigrant George Schoenewald founded the estate in the late 1800s. He had been the manager of the dining room at the Lick House, land speculator and philanthropist James Lick's elegant San Francisco hotel. He also managed the Del Monte Lodge on the Monterey Peninsula. When he built his St. Helena house it was built on the model of Del Monte and was called Esmeralda.
In 1910 the name was changed to Spottswoode by the Spotts family who grew grapes until Prohibition and then phased into raising frogs and growing mushrooms in the mansion's basement.
The Novaks decided early on to replant the post-prohibition vineyard with vines that were more marketable than the existent Green Hungarian, French Colombard, Napa Gamay, and Petite Sirah. Both Mary and Jack enrolled in viticulture classes at the University of California Davis, while seeking the advice of experts in the field. Eventually Spottswoode's 40-acre vineyard was replanted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon.
Jack's untimely and unexpected death at the age of 44 in 1977 came just a few weeks after the first saleable crop of grapes had been picked at the estate. At that point Mary Novak was faced with a number of tough decisions, including whether to stay or leave. That Mary decided to stay and face the challenges inherent in such an enterprise didn't really come as a great surprise to her family and friends. Daughter Lindy says, "Mother has tremendous strength - quiet, underlying strength."
"Mary", adds Lindy the oldest daughter, "is able to separate emotions and facts, even under the stress of tragedy. This resilience made her a strong mother - and eventually, a successful entrepreneur."
Spottswoode produced its first Cabernet Sauvignon in 1982, and Sauvignon Blanc just a few years later. But, as Mary recalls, "I had to gain confidence. The first time I had a crop of grapes to sell, I went to Mike Robbins (at nearby Spring Mountain Winery) and I was so intimidated that I said something like, "You wouldn't want to buy these grapes, would you? Lucky for me they were good grapes, and he did want to buy them."
As Spottswoode's reputation and business grew owner Mary's daughters took on official responsibilities. Oldest daughter Lindy is Spottswoode's National Sales Manager . Beth, who worked with a San Francisco wine broker, lives just down the street from the winery with her husband, John Milliken and their small son and is now President. Daughter Kelley, a former caterer, steps in as chef for winery functions. Diane Armstong, Vice President and staff person Paige Peterson round out the staff.
Winemaker Rosemary Cakebread, with a twenty year winemaking career, has learned first hand that exceptional winemaking begins in the vineyard. Since 1997 Rosemary has been the winemaker at Spottswoode. In that role she has had the opportunity to work with several varietals but acknowledges a personal bias for Cabernet Sauvignon. Because Rosemary believes that vineyards play an integral role in the winemaking process, she spends equal amounts of hands-on time in the vineyard and the cellar.
Prior to becoming an independent winemaker, Rosemary worked for several wineries, but feels she gained her most valuable experience working with the renowned French winemaker, Guy Devaux, at Mumm Napa Valley during the mid-1980s. Says Rosemary, "the craft of winemaking is a wonderful counterpoint between exactitude and abstraction, and it suits me just right."
Rosemary got her first introduction to wine at Sebastiani Vineyards, working a summer job on the bottling line. It was there that she learned about the winemaking program at UC Davis, where she graduated in 1979. Having her sights on the Napa Valley, she worked a harvest job there and never left. She lives in St. Helena with her husband Bruce, a winemaker at his own family's winery (Cakebread Cellars) and her two children, Mia and Alec.
All of the ladies of Spottswoode are agreed on preserving and building upon the integrity of the vineyards. The estate vineyard is planted 33 acres to Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.5 acres to Cabernet Franc and 2.5 acres to Sauvignon Blanc. David Abreu has managed the vineyard since 1985 and is assisted by Jose Luis Lopez, who has been with Spottswoode since 1982. Their combined 35 years of experience lends an historical perspective and an innate knowledge of the estate vineyard that allows for quality and consistency.
Spottswoode has been farmed organically since 1985 and has been certified by the CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) since 1990. The estate consists of two historic buildings - a circa 1884 Victorian farmhouse and a pre-prohibition stone cellar where they barrel age Cabernet Sauvignon - and a new winery constructed in 1999. Its completion signifies an important evolution for Spottswoode and allows them to produce their wines on site - right across the street from the estate vineyard.
The winery itself is the culmination of a dream that goes back to 1982 for Mary and her gals, and enormous care has gone into its design and construction. The winery was designed to accommodate all of the fruit from the estate vineyard. According to Beth, "Our goal for the estate winery was to create a functional building that would fit in with the existing structures without detracting from the historical integrity of the property. We selected renowned architect Howard Backen, of Backen and Gilliam, as one who shared our vision."
"Our new winery design shows a great sensitivity to the site, the historic buildings, and the surrounding neighborhood", says Beth Novak Milliken, "We know that as the building settles in and the landscaping matures over the years, we will hardly be able to distinguish the old from the new. Of this, we are justifiably proud."
In September of 1999, Spottswoode received the ultimate compliment on their winery design when they received an award from the Napa County Landmark association as an award for merit for "Exemplary New Building in a Historic Setting."
As to the future, Beth says, "We have been making wine since 1982, and we feel that we continuously learn from what we have done in the past and improve upon both our grape growing and winemaking. Rosemary brings to her role incredible skill and attention to detail - we feel very fortunate to have her working with us. We are getting to know our vineyard better with each passing year, and through the natural cycle of growing years and our commitment to organic farming, we feel we are creating healthier soils, vines and, ultimately, the highest quality fruit."
"We also have an emotional tie to the property we are so fortunate to own", she continues, "and we feel fortunate to have such a great group of people working with us. We are very tight knit, and we operate our vineyard and winery in a democratic manner, such that everyone's input is valued. This may sound cliché, but in our case, it is not - Spottswoode is a nice place to work, and the same integrity that defines our grape growing and winemaking also permeates all the other facets of our business."