Our Story
Wrapped by Soscol Creek, perched on a hillside of fractured rocks, and shrouded with morning fog and afternoon sea breezes, the Empress Court Vineyard sits at an ideal spot. At the southeastern mouth of Napa Valley, right between the renowned Coombsville and Los Carneros AVAs, it looks over the San Pablo Bay straight at the Golden Gate and the Pacific Ocean. The rocky soil and western exposure drives ripening, but the cool climate maintains freshness and acidity. This results in wines with depth and character, as well as zesty freshness.
The Vineyard
Empress Wines
The vines were planted in 2007. It was renamed to Castrucci Vineyard in 2011 when David and Dawn Castrucci purchased the property. The fruit from the winery’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay have produced wines that won medals at the San Francisco Chronicle.
In 2018, Margaret Wong, a business woman from Sacramento, fell in love with the beautiful Napa Valley. She purchased the property and the Castrucci brand. Under the new name Empress Court Vineyard, we continued producing excellent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. In spring of 2020, a frost stunted the Chardonnay vines. Later that year, we replaced the Chardonnay with Cabernet Sauvignon clones.
Empress' first vintage of estate Pinot Noir wines were produced in 2020. Our current Cabernet Sauvignon wines were made by sourcing grapes in Rutherford and Oakville AVAs of Napa Valley. We look forward to producing our own estate Cabernet Sauvignon in the near future.
The Restaurant
Empress M
Margaret and her guests from China frequently visited Napa Valley. But they had a hard time finding good Chinese food. In 2019, Margaret purchased the Olive Tree Restaurant on the Silverado Trail and converted it to an authentic Chinese restaurant with a rich cultural ambience.