Bart Barthélemy

When he retired from flying in 1996, he invested in a small start-up Napa Valley Cabernet venture and worked hands on helping with the first few vintages.  By 2000 he had decided to strike out on his own.  Varietal ports were chosen as the “niche” he wanted because he loved ports but felt that the ports being made in California were simply tired copies of the great Portuguese ports.  The California varietals he wanted to use required a whole new approach; single varietal, and lower sugar to enhance their food pairing capability.  While perfecting the innovative style, Bart went back to school full-time in the Napa Valley College Viticulture and Winery program to round out the knowledge garnered over the years working in the wine industry as a “volunteer”.

Capitalizing on the relationships established over the years, Bart was able to find growers willing to work with him on the special requirements he had in the vineyard, something unusual for a very small purchaser.  The former horse pastures on Bart and Cynthia’s ranch overlooking Lake Berryessa in the eastern hills of Napa Valley have been planted with Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Syrah grapes and are now mature enough to be part of their production.  Now, six years later, St. Barthélemy Cellars is producing a line of seven varietal ports, all true to the varietal characteristics and very food-friendly.

Bart enjoys delighting both port lovers and those who “can’t stand port” with his unique port style.  All-port dinners are the way to educate people about the new food-friendly ports.  The most recent such dinner was a smashing success last November on the Napa Valley Wine Train.

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