Story
Founder Jay Corley showing off our very first bottling in 1981.
EARLY DAYS
A renaissance in Napa
Before Napa Valley became the global wine region it is today, it was still a place of possibility — a place where agriculture had been an important part of the story but yet undefined by grapes, farming, or wine.
Jay Corley came to Napa looking for something that had not quite been done before. He was looking for a site with a real sense of place and the chance to build something different than what it had ever been before.
ORIGIN STORY
OUR HISTORY IN TOO FEW WORDS
The Beginning 1970
The Corley Family came to Napa in search of a site to grow grapes of heart that had a unique sense of place. Inspired by wines of Burgundy, Jay Corley found an old prune and walnut orchard in what would become the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley to grow Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and other varietals.
Winemaking 1980
After a decade in the vineyard, we expanded our sites beyond farming to winemaking. 1980 marked our first vintage of Monticello wine.
Next Gen 1986
Kevin joined his father Jay to expand Monticello's vineyard and winemaking footprint. This was supposed to be a short project that resulted in Kevin's succession of Jay's leadership in the late 1990's.
1990s Leaning into Farming
During the phylloxera era, Kevin doubled down on farming, sourcing exceptional plant materials and making his mark on Monticello's focus on farming. Early plantings included introducing the some of the earliest plantings of Clone 181 Merlot, some of the earliest legally brought in Dijon Clones of Pinot Noir, secret plantings of Cabernet Franc known as Clone X and more...
2000s Putting it all together
The next two decades brought new wines, deeper family involvement, and a continued commitment to estate-grown winemaking rooted in Napa Valley.
Today The next 50 years
Wine around the world is experiencing a reckoning. We're here to help steward the next generation of wine culture, community, and connection forward one glass of wine at a time.
The Jefferson House on our Estate is modeled after Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charlottesville, Virgnia.
INSPIRATION
Why Monticello
Thomas Jefferson was one of the earliest Americans to imagine a serious future for wine in this country. He believed the United States could one day produce wines to rival Europe — a vision that would not fully come to fruition until generations later.
That belief mattered to Jay Corley. When he named Monticello after Jefferson’s Virginia home, it was not just an architectural reference. It was a nod to a larger idea — that great wine in America could be rooted in place, ambition, and a long view of what this country was capable of becoming.
OUR FUTURE
The next 50 years
We have been farming the same land for 56 years. The connection to the soil, our people, the hands and hearts behind each vintage is what continues to fuel us year after year. We are proud to be part of that tradition and excited to carry it forward for the next 50 years and beyond.
2nd Generation Kevin Corley and 3rd Hayden Corley