Hallowed Ground: To Kalon at its Finest

Like many great wine experiences, persistence and timing are everything. For six months, my wife Dio and I had been trying to arrange a visit to MacDonald Vineyards, one of Napa Valley's most historic and sought-after properties. Our initial attempts coincided with harvest - not ideal timing when you're reaching out to a two-person operation where the brothers handle everything from vineyard work to winemaking to tastings themselves.

Alex MacDonald's email responses were always warm and encouraging, suggesting we try again when harvest duties weren't all-consuming. When we planned our February trip around a reservation to The French Laundry (you can read about that visit here), the stars finally aligned. After a few exchanges about dates, we landed on a late afternoon appointment for what would become one of our most memorable Napa experiences.

We couldn't have timed our visit better. The February afternoon sun cast a golden glow across wine country, illuminating a carpet of brilliant yellow mustard flowers between the dormant vines. It's these moments that remind you why Napa Valley captures the imagination of wine lovers worldwide. As we pulled up to the property, I found myself reflecting on just how special this place is - this wasn't just any Napa Valley vineyard, this was To Kalon, perhaps the most hallowed ground in American wine.

Alex greeted us in front of a charming small house with the kind of genuine warmth you find at family-run estates. We set off on a vineyard tour, making a wide circle around the property. As we walked, he pointed to his great-grandparents' house off in the distance and shared the fascinating story of how his family came to own this precious piece of land. In 1954, his great-grandparents were simply looking for a retirement home in Napa Valley. They found a small house in Oakville, but the owners insisted they purchase the surrounding land - at the time planted to cherry trees - as part of the deal. What might have seemed like an inconvenient requirement would prove to be one of the most fortuitous real estate decisions in Napa Valley history. His great-grandparents removed the cherry trees and planted grapevines, unknowingly setting the stage for one of Napa's most celebrated vineyards.

As we walked the rows, Alex shared the legendary story of their handshake agreement with Robert Mondavi - during a drought year that significantly impacted production, Mondavi sent a check reflecting market value rather than their contracted price. Their great-uncle walked into Mondavi's office, tore up the contract, and declared that a handshake would suffice. That handshake would govern their grape sales for over fifty years.

We paused by what Alex identified as their seasonal creek, recently officially named and marked on local maps - another piece of To Kalon history preserved through the MacDonald family's dedicated research and documentation efforts.

For our final stop before heading inside, Alex led us to the crown jewels of the property - their Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted in 1954. These gnarly, head-pruned veterans are among the oldest commercially producing Cabernet vines in Napa County. There was something deeply moving about watching Alex discuss these vines - while he and his brother never met their great-grandfather who planted them, they're now crafting world-class wines from these very same vines. Even more touching is how they're already involving the next generation at a young age, hoping to one day pass these living pieces of history on to them. When advisors suggested removing these historic vines years ago, Alex's brother Graeme instead took over vineyard management himself and returned these blocks to dry farming, honoring traditional viticultural practices.

With our tour complete, we headed back to the charming house where we'd started. Inside, he reached for a decanter - no bottles in sight - and poured their singular offering. MacDonald only makes one wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon that sells out instantly upon release to their mailing list members. The wine in my glass immediately commanded attention. The complexity, the balance, the depth - everything pointed to an exceptional Napa Cab. After several amazing sips, I finally asked Alex about the vintage.

"2020," he said with a slight smile.

I nearly did a double-take. 2020? The year that had Napa Valley winemakers losing sleep over smoke exposure concerns? The vintage that had caused many producers to skip production entirely? This wine showed none of those challenges. Alex explained that the age of their oldest vines proved crucial that year. Because these vines' roots reach deep enough to access the water table, they don't ingest smoke like younger vines do. By making the bold choice to limit production to just these old vines, they were able to craft a remarkable wine in a year when many other prestigious producers had to skip the vintage entirely.

Here's my CellarTracker note from that tasting:

97 pts. Tasted with Alex. The only '20 Napa Cab I've tried to date. If you have old vine Cabernet grapes and know what you're doing (they do) you can make a fantastic 2020 Napa Cabernet. This is it. Full stop.

The MacDonald story embodies everything I love about wine - family heritage, dedication to craft, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. From that fateful real estate deal in 1954 to today's highly sought-after wines (their mailing list now carries an 8+ year wait), they've remained true to their vision of creating world-class wine from a world-class site. Their success has come not through marketing or expansion, but through letting the quality speak for itself - their entire production sells out in minutes to mailing list customers.

As Dio and I drove away that evening, we couldn't help but feel privileged to have experienced this special piece of Napa Valley history. The MacDonald brothers are not just making wine; they're preserving a legacy, one ancient vine at a time. And sometimes, if you're persistent enough in seeking out these experiences, the stars align and you find yourself standing on truly hallowed ground.