St. Helena · Napa Valley
Visit Vida Valiente with a Private Chauffeur
Philanthropic Cabernet from winemaker Sam Kaplan, poured by appointment at Edge Hill, the historic 1876 stone winery in the hills west of St. Helena, and a suggested six-hour day of tasting around it.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Vida Valiente means valiant life. Hayes and Susana Drumwright started it with winemaker Sam Kaplan and his wife Nancy; Hayes is also a co-founder of Memento Mori, where Sam makes the wine. Profits fund the Vida Valiente Foundation, which mentors first-generation college students. The Cabernets come from a young estate vineyard at the base of Glass Mountain, laced with black obsidian, plus High Ranch in Coombsville, a redeveloped block of Beckstoffer To Kalon and Graveside Vineyard in St. Helena.
Edge Hill is one of Napa Valley's oldest wine estates. Union general Erasmus Keyes planted it after the Civil War, and its three-story stone winery, built in 1876, is considered the valley's oldest three-level gravity-flow winery. Wine production stopped in 1907. Louis and Elizabeth Martini owned it from 1952, Leslie and Susie Rudd restored it, and Joel Gott revived the Edge Hill label with a small red field blend from 2022. In March 2026 Gott sold the estate to Hayes and Susana Drumwright and a group of investors.
Edge Hill is now where Vida Valiente welcomes guests while its own winery on Crystal Springs Road, at the base of Howell Mountain, is built; Wine Spectator reports it is due about 2030, after which the owners plan a new label, Ultra Mortem, at Edge Hill. Guests taste by appointment in the old stone winery and its landscaped grounds. Los Padrinos members get one complimentary hosted tasting a year for up to four guests, and others can request an appointment.
Tasting Fees
The yearly hosted tasting at Edge Hill is complimentary for Los Padrinos members, for up to four guests. Vida Valiente does not publish a fee for other visitors. Tasting fees to be verified upon reservation.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
St. Helena
AVA
St. Helena
Visiting
By appointment at Edge Hill, the historic estate in the western hills of St. Helena where Vida Valiente hosts while its own winery is built. Los Padrinos members receive one complimentary hosted tasting a year for up to four guests, plus invitation-only events. Others can request an appointment through the winery's website (a free account is required) or by calling 707-400-8168; we make the request on your behalf. Plan at least a week ahead.
Known For
Cabernet Sauvignon, including The Movement blend and bottlings from To Kalon, High Ranch and Graveside, poured at Edge Hill in the St. Helena AVA
Founded
2019 (first vintage, released in late 2021)
Good to Know
Los Padrinos starts with a two-year commitment of 12 or 24 bottles a year and includes concierge help planning a visit. $100 from every bottle of The Movement supports the Vida Valiente Foundation, up to $100,000. Ages, group size and pet rules are not published.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 10:00 a.m. from a nearby hotel such as Harvest Inn or Southbridge Napa Valley.
10:00 · Pickup at Harvest Inn or Southbridge Napa Valley
Both hotels are at the south end of St. Helena, about 10 minutes from Edge Hill in the hills west of town. Vida Valiente sets the appointment, and the day is built around it. It runs about six and a quarter hours, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · Vida Valiente at Edge Hill
A hosted tasting of Sam Kaplan's Cabernets at the 1876 stone winery, the estate Vida Valiente's founders bought in 2026. We plan about 75 minutes; the time and format are confirmed by the winery.
12:00 · Bevan Cellars
About 10 minutes away. Russell Bevan's single-vineyard Napa Cabernets, poured at Brasswood north of St. Helena. The Bordeaux Tasting of five reds, including a library selection when available, is $125, about 75 minutes. By appointment, Tuesday to Saturday; we book the noon seating.
1:30 · Lunch at Auberge du Soleil
About 15 minutes away. Lunch high on Rutherford Hill with the whole valley below. The Bar serves all day from 11:30 a.m., and The Restaurant on the terrace offers a two- or three-course prix fixe lunch. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
3:05 · Seven Stones Estate
About 20 minutes away. A tiny hillside Cabernet estate in the eastern hills of St. Helena, named for a granite sculpture by Richard Deutsch and home to a private art collection; Aaron Pott makes the wine. Private visits by appointment, requested at least two days ahead; the fee is confirmed when we book, and we allow about an hour.
4:05 · Back to your hotel
Back in St. Helena by about 4:20 p.m., about six and a quarter hours after pickup.
About $125 per person in tasting fees for Bevan Cellars, plus Seven Stones' fee, which is confirmed when we book. Vida Valiente's yearly tasting is complimentary for Los Padrinos members; its fee for other guests is to be verified upon reservation. Each is paid directly to the winery.
Bevan Cellars pours Tuesday to Saturday. Vida Valiente's tasting at Edge Hill and the Seven Stones visit are set by appointment, so we confirm the day with each. The day runs about six and a quarter hours.
Every tour is custom. This day is a starting point: your chauffeur will shape it around what matters to you, and we plan multi-day tours for guests who want to see more of wine country.
Your Vehicle & Six-Hour Tour Rates
Up to 6 guests
Elite Luxury SUV
Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade
From $750
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $125 each.
Up to 9 guests
Jet Sprinter or Executive Luxury Van
Captain's chairs and room to spread out
From $1,350
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $225 each.
Larger groups travel in more than one vehicle, and we plan the winery appointments around your group, since many wineries limit groups to 6 to 8 guests. Tasting fees are separate and paid directly to each winery. Every tour starts with six hours; add time by the hour when you book.
Questions
Do I need a reservation at Vida Valiente?
Yes. Vida Valiente hosts by appointment only, at Edge Hill: Los Padrinos members book their yearly hosted tasting, and other guests request an appointment through the winery. When you book a tour with us, your chauffeur makes the reservation for you.
How much is a tasting at Vida Valiente?
The yearly hosted tasting at Edge Hill is complimentary for Los Padrinos members, for up to four guests. No fee is published for other visitors, so tasting fees are to be verified upon reservation, as of September 2026.
Is Edge Hill still open?
Yes, by appointment, as the place where Vida Valiente hosts its tastings. Joel Gott sold the estate in March 2026 to Hayes and Susana Drumwright and a group of investors, and Vida Valiente works there until its own winery on Crystal Springs Road is finished. The new owners have not announced whether wines will continue under the Edge Hill name; their planned label for the estate is Ultra Mortem.
Who owns Vida Valiente and Edge Hill?
Vida Valiente belongs to Hayes and Susana Drumwright with winemaker Sam Kaplan and his wife Nancy. Edge Hill is owned by the Drumwrights and about 20 investors who are clients of their wine labels. Memento Mori, which Hayes co-founded and Sam also makes, has its own estate in Calistoga.
Where is Edge Hill?
Off Sulphur Springs Avenue in the western hills of St. Helena, in the St. Helena AVA, a few minutes' drive from downtown. Vida Valiente's own estate vineyard is north of town at the base of Glass Mountain.
How does booking a tour with Bien Chauffeured work?
Reserve a six-hour tour online, even if your plans are still taking shape. Your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Extra hours can be added.
Reserve Your Tour Now, Plan the Details Later
Your plans don't need to be final to book. Reserve your six-hour tour online, and your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Prefer to talk? Call our concierge at 888-291-2328.
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