The year 1872 was the beginning of modern agriculture at Long Meadow Ranch. Just 48 years before Prohibition and 117 years before the Hall family made the move to the Mountain Estate, a civil war veteran by the name of Elliot Joeseph Church (E.J. for short) was given the opportunity to move from the east coast to the Napa Valley with a land patent signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. The land patent granted 640 acres in the Mayacamas Mountains for farming. 

EARLY VITICULTURE AT LONG MEADOW RANCH 

E.J. Church began by planting grapes and olives on the estate and eventually establishing an apple orchard. Most of the vineyard plantings were a white varietal called Chasselas. Originally from Switzerland, Chasselas is a medium-high acid varietal that usually yields neutral wines that showcase the terroir in which they grow. At this time, it was commonly planted in the Napa Valley. We now know that the soil at our Mountain Estate is perfect for the Bordeaux varietals Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. They thrive high above the fog line along with Sangiovese. Our E.J. Church Reserve wines are made from select barrels of the best blocks at our Mountain Estate and are named for the pioneer to farm the land. E.J. Church’s signature is used on the label – E.J. Church Sangiovese, Peter’s Vineyard, E.J. Church Cabernet Franc, Bear Canyon, and E.J. Church Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. 

ORGANIC OLIVE OIL

Along with vineyards, E.J. Church also planted an olive grove. We’re not sure of the origin of these olive trees. However, they are likely from a nursery in Monterey County that used European cuttings. The cuttings were presumably from Provence, although genetic DNA testing has not confirmed their origin. This olive grove, now known as Prato Lungo, meaning Long Meadow in Italian, is one of the oldest in Napa Valley. Ted and Chris Hall discovered the olive grove while exploring the property on horseback in the 1990s. It had been engulfed by dense forest after the property was abandoned. We restored and cultivated eight acres of these historic trees and propagated them to grow new ones. These olives go into our Prato Lungo Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We then planted additional groves using Italian cultivars Frantoio, Leccino, Pendolino, and Moraiolo. These are all used in our Napa Valley Select Organic Olive Oil. Long Meadow Ranch is now one of two places in Napa Valley that mills olive oil onsite. 

E.J. Church farmed the property into old age. In 1920, during Prohibition, a descendant of his, either a son or nephew, sold Long Meadow Ranch to a San Francisco couple who used it as a weekend retreat. Wine and olive production halted for nearly 75 years, and the property was left to be swallowed by the encroaching forest. 

TODAY AT THE MOUNTAIN ESTATE

In 1989 the Hall family purchased the property and breathed life back into the land, nurturing it back to its former glory. Our first vintage of organically farmed wine from the property was in 1994, followed by organic olive oil. Today, our wines are made at our Mountain Estate Winery, just a stone’s throw away from the actual Long Meadow. We organically farm grapes, olives, apples, various fruits, and vegetables. We have bees for honey, an egg-laying flock of chickens, and grass-fed Highland Cattle. Nothing goes to waste, and each part of the farm contributes to the whole. We call this Full Circle Farming and tribute how it all got started to the land’s original farmer, E.J. Church.