Lampyridae Vineyards, Mt. Veeder
Twenty-five hundred feet above the floor of the Napa Valley, sits Lampyridae Vineyards, the highest elevation vineyard on Mt. Veeder. Farming has been a lifelong dream of John and Ashley Derr. This dream has come to fruition with the development of this unique and beautiful piece of land.
In 1996, the Derr's purchased and developed the property that sits just below the peak of Mt. Veeder into 11 Acres of vineyards. High above the fog layer, the cooler days and warmer nights yield ideal ripening conditions for premium wine grapes. The wines produced from these ancient volcanic soils produce some of the most intensely flavored Cabernet, Syrah, Grenache and Zinfandel that Napa has to offer.
John has a long history in farming. He began working in vineyards at the age of fifteen and, for the past twenty years, has been both a crop consultant for Crop Care Associates and a viticulturist for Pina Vineyard Management. In 2012, John established John Derr Farming and Consulting company as well as Calavera wines. John's activities include; farming the vineyards of Lampyridae, continuing as the viticulturist for Pina Vineyard Management, consulting on the farming of numerous Napa Valley premium vineyards, and developing Calavera wines into a quality line of wines from the Sierra Foothills. Ashley began her farming career working in Entomology and IPM research with the UC. She has worked as an assistant to the Napa Valley Farm Advisor and also for the Napa Valley farming company, Walsh Vineyards Management. After having children, Ashley has devoted her efforts to her family, managing the "behind the scenes" needs of Lampyridae vineyards, wine sales and special needs advocacy.
Lampyridae Vineyards has been growing wine grapes since 1998. The vineyards, which are meticulously managed by our foreman Edgar Yancor, are composed of 11 planted acres - 8 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 1 acre of Syrah, 1 acre of Grenache and 1 acre of Zinfandel. Our clients include Beringer Vineyards, Fontanella Family Winery, Schulz Cellars ,Kind Cellars, Biale Vineyards, Blackbird Winery and Rudd Oakville Estate. December 2011 marked the first release of the Lampyridae Vineyards Communication Block Red Wine. For the current year, we have partnered with Aaron Pott to present both a 2010 Lampyridae Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and a Red Wine and with John Schulz to present the 2012 Grenache Blanc.
In 1996, the Derr's purchased and developed the property that sits just below the peak of Mt. Veeder into 11 Acres of vineyards. High above the fog layer, the cooler days and warmer nights yield ideal ripening conditions for premium wine grapes. The wines produced from these ancient volcanic soils produce some of the most intensely flavored Cabernet, Syrah, Grenache and Zinfandel that Napa has to offer.
John has a long history in farming. He began working in vineyards at the age of fifteen and, for the past twenty years, has been both a crop consultant for Crop Care Associates and a viticulturist for Pina Vineyard Management. In 2012, John established John Derr Farming and Consulting company as well as Calavera wines. John's activities include; farming the vineyards of Lampyridae, continuing as the viticulturist for Pina Vineyard Management, consulting on the farming of numerous Napa Valley premium vineyards, and developing Calavera wines into a quality line of wines from the Sierra Foothills. Ashley began her farming career working in Entomology and IPM research with the UC. She has worked as an assistant to the Napa Valley Farm Advisor and also for the Napa Valley farming company, Walsh Vineyards Management. After having children, Ashley has devoted her efforts to her family, managing the "behind the scenes" needs of Lampyridae vineyards, wine sales and special needs advocacy.
Lampyridae Vineyards has been growing wine grapes since 1998. The vineyards, which are meticulously managed by our foreman Edgar Yancor, are composed of 11 planted acres - 8 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 1 acre of Syrah, 1 acre of Grenache and 1 acre of Zinfandel. Our clients include Beringer Vineyards, Fontanella Family Winery, Schulz Cellars ,Kind Cellars, Biale Vineyards, Blackbird Winery and Rudd Oakville Estate. December 2011 marked the first release of the Lampyridae Vineyards Communication Block Red Wine. For the current year, we have partnered with Aaron Pott to present both a 2010 Lampyridae Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and a Red Wine and with John Schulz to present the 2012 Grenache Blanc.
take a video tour of Lampyridae
