About Duke McGillis
Duke McGillis at the controls of #478 steam train in Durango, Colorado in 1965
Loron N. McGillis Visits Bill
Smith at His Howell Mountain Vineyard
In September 2012, I watched as two old friends
greeted each other in the warm California sun. While
touring the
Napa Valley with my father,
Duke McGillis * and
Carrie McCoy, we decided to visit the
W.H. Smith Winery in the hills of Howell
Mountain, east of the hamlet of Angwin. As he shook
hands with W.H. (Bill) Smith **, my father
reminisced, ?Bill, I first met you and your wife,
Joan in 1978?.
In those days Bill & Joan Smith lived in a
century-old farmhouse at
La Jota Vineyards, a few miles down the hill
from where we stood. Subdivided from the original
Spanish land grant of the same name, La Jota
featured an 1898
gravity-fed,
fieldstone winery. Despite the remaining early
infrastructure, Howell Mountain had seen little wine
produced or bottled since the Great Depression.
Although the history of viticulture in around Howell
Mountain was rich, the place was little-known to
most wine critics, consumers and historians.
On July 4, 1978, I had the pleasure of attending the
first La Jota Vineyards holiday barbecue. This
annual event later achieved near cult status among
the Smith?s friends and neighbors. Arriving a day
early, we slept overnight in sleeping bags out in a
small pasture. The next morning, Bill Smith used his
new Kubota tractor to dig a pit for slow-roasting
crabs or lobsters over the coals.
Several
years later, during another celebration at the old
farmhouse, Bill?s fine new Howell Mountain Estate -
La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon flowed freely. Dinner
that night was to be poached salmon. My father?s
wife, the late
Joyce McGillis had what must have been a
twenty-pound salmon poaching atop the stove. When we
finally wrestled the huge fish onto a cutting board,
the first slice told us that the fish was still raw.
Somehow, we got that huge fish back into the boiling
water. The second time we tried it, the entire fish
was poached to perfection. Since fish, wine and
miracles go well together, we all broke bread,
toasted to our chef and enjoyed the meal.
In his early days of wine making, Bill Smith was an
admitted amateur at the craft. If something was not
going well in the old stone winery, he studied it,
and
then fixed the problem. If the problem was beyond
his own expertise, he sought qualified help. Bill's
strategy of continuous improvement worked well.
Critics and consumers alike enjoyed each new vintage
of La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon. Those on the
vineyard?s mailing list enjoyed limited releases of
exotic varietals such as
Viognier and
Nebbiolo. While Cabernet Sauvignon remained the
basis of La Jota?s fame, respect for the label grew.
In 2001, the prestigious Markham Vineyards purchased
Bill and Joan Smith?s La Jota Vineyard Company.
Not only critics and consumers loved the flavor
concentration and firm structure of a Howell
Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Historians, as well
looked at the
viticultural history of Howell Mountain. On its
eroded and forested plateau, Howell Mountain had
more vines planted in 1900 than it does today. Based
on research by wine historian
Charles Sullivan, Howell Mountain
became
the first
sub-appellation to the Napa Valley. In 1983,
Howell Mountain received recognition as an American
Viticultural Area (AVA). Bill and Joan Smith?s
leadership in reviving Howell Mountain as a premium
wine making area helped make that prestigious
designation possible.
In 2003, my father and I traveled again to Howell
Mountain. This time it was to see the Smith?s new
home, winery and vineyards. Their new place was only
a mile or so up the road from their old La Jota
Vineyards. Their beautiful new house featured a
permanent barbeque pit large enough for a whole
roast pig. On the next July 4, there would no need
to dig a hole with a tractor. With its long view to
the Napa Valley below, the Smith?s new
Piedra Hill Vineyard looked like a sure winner.
Later, when the Smiths purchased a Pinot Noir
Vineyard in Sonoma County, the Piedra Hill label
gave way to the new and current, ?W.H.
Smith Wines? label.
During
our 2003 visit, Bill Smith had just begun his most
ambitious construction project. Although Napa Valley
vintners could build large-scale production
facilities on the flatlands, no commercial building
on Howell Mountain could protrude above the
ridgeline. In order to create the perfect
temperatures for finishing and storage of wine, Bill
opted to go underground. With help from the experts,
Bill Smith drilled three parallel tunnels into a
Howell Mountain hillside. Today, the artificial
caves house operations, barrel storage and finished
inventory for the winery.
During
our September 2012 visit, Joan Smith was in
Kauai,
conducting business for the winery. After a quick
visit to their Spanish style home, we drove a short
distance to the caves. After visiting with the
office manager, we prepared to leave. Then, in a
flash of light, Bill Smith drove up in a new black
Chevrolet pickup truck. After greetings all around,
Bill admitted in his own humble way, ?It is a great
vehicle, but I still cannot figure out how all the
gadgets work?. Just as he did at La Jota Vineyards
thirty-five years ago, I am sure that Bill Smith
will figure out how to take full advantage of what
his new acquisition has to offer.
* (Author's Note) On February 9, 2013, Dr. Loron N.
(Duke) McGillis passed away peacefully, in his
sleep, at his home in Berkeley, California.
** (Author's Note) William Howard
(Bill) Smith went on to Larger Life June 13,
2017 at his home in St Helena, California.