The story of Frank Family’s Benjamin Vineyard, the 87-acre ranch known for growing exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon on the Rutherford valley floor, begins in the most unusual of places: Tuscany, Italy.
“Leslie and I were on our honeymoon in the summer of 2012, when the old Wood Ranch became available to purchase,” says Frank Family founder, Rich Frank. “We knew that this was a special property, and an unbelievable opportunity.” Certain that this Rutherford vineyard, just a short distance from Winston Hill, would be the perfect addition to Frank Family Vineyards and knowing that so many other producers would be pursuing this land, Rich and Leslie spent their days in Tuscany celebrating their marriage and enjoying the beautiful countryside, while at night they were on the phone to California, negotiating the purchase.
The Benjamin Vineyard, which Rich and Leslie named after their youngest grandson, Benjamin Frank, sits squarely on the valley floor along the Rutherford Bench. The property was previously owned by the Wood Family for decades and known by many Napa locals for its small house along the roadside where wreaths and other garden decor woven from vine clippings were sold. The Wood Family were not winemakers, but they took immense pride in their fruit as grape growers, selling their annual crop to the many high-profile neighboring wineries such as Quintessa and Caymus.
The vineyard’s makeup was eclectic, featuring blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but also Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel, and even some blocks of Chardonnay. In 2015, Frank Family Vineyards Winemaker and General Manager, Todd Graff embarked on a decade-long, strategic replanting of the property, dividing the vineyard in two halves. The first half of the replant, which included blocks 10-17, have been in full production since 2019. The remaining acres are currently undergoing the replant process, giving time for the soil to restore its nutrients and come back into balance.
Todd’s plan also involved matching clonal selections with specific rootstocks, reorienting vine rows to aid ripening, and amending the soils through the use of cover crops to build back its health. Replanting also gave us the opportunity to replace some of the existing grape varieties that hadn’t thrived there in the past, like Chardonnay and Petite Sirah, with varieties better suited for the clay loam soils and warm daytime temperatures of the Rutherford valley floor.
“We wanted to plant smarter and use grapes that made better sense for our vineyard location,” said Graff, “being in Rutherford, we put a focus on Bordeaux varieties, planting predominately Cabernet Sauvignon with a little bit of Merlot and Petite Verdot.”
Our ten-year replanting journey is finally coming to an end and we are excited to finally share the inaugural vintage of our first single-vineyard wine from this property, aptly named, Benjamin Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. Only 1,000 cases were produced of this luscious, deeply flavored wine, becoming the perfect addition to Frank Family’s portfolio of vineyard-focused and terroir-driven wines. The 2019 Benjamin Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is a culmination of ten years of rebuilding from the ground up and we know it will soon capture the hearts and palates of the lucky few who try it.
