Le Chanceux

In 1999 Robert & Susan McNerney purchased a 2 acre property in East Napa and in 2002 planted 1 acre of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes known to be the best varietal to thrive in this area. Their Coombsville property was later to become a part of the 16th AVA of the Napa Valley in 2011. Planted with a vision of sharing a small lot Cabernet with family and friends while selling the bulk of the grapes to help provide income for their still young family of five was their goal. In 2005, they harvested the first small tonnage (approx1.5 ton) which was the regions record cabernet crop and with a glut in the market, were unable to sell their fruit.  The only other options were to “drop” the fruit or make wine. With the later decision, they became “accidental vintners”. A vineyard manager was hired to help going forward, viticulture classes were taken at the local community college and weekends were spent working together in the vineyard and learning about wine literally from the ground up. With Susan a stay at home mom shuffling 3 daughters to various places and a part time photography business, a mid-life change was on the horizon.