Covert Estate in Napa

Visitors to Covert Estate enjoy panoramic views of verdant rolling hills, pastures with cows and vineyards. 

While the Coombsville area is geographically on the edge of the valley, it has quickly become one of the most desirable wine growing regions in Napa Valley, especially for Cabernet Sauvignon. The proximity to San Pablo Bay’s cooling fog means the red wines marry deep flavors balanced by fresh acidity.

Julien Fayard, a French-born winemaker and co-owner of Covert Estate, and his business partners saw Coombsville’s potential relatively early. He and the two married couples that co-own Covert Estate —  Cal and Pam Nicholson and Dave and Laura Nestor  — put down roots here in 2012. 

When visitors enter through a rounded portal set into the hillside, the first things they see are wine barrels and a lab clad in honey-colored wood cabinets. An Infinity surfboard mounted on the wall over the lab is a nod to Fayard’s love of surfing. The surfboard, along with the undulating, wavelike design of the tunnels speaks to his philosophy. “No matter what happens during harvest, ride the wave,” says Emily Floyd, the director of hospitality and sales. The simplicity of the area reveals Fayard’s focus. He prefers to direct guests’ attention to his craft: careful vineyard management and expert traditional winemaking aided by the best modern technology.

Tastings

Visitors to Covert Estate can call or email the winery in advance to arrange one of three tasting experiences. 

The Covert Estate Experience begins with a splash from one of Fayard’s other winemaking projects, typically a Sauvignon Blanc. On a recent visit, it was the Nicholson Jones Sauvignon Blanc, a fresh aromatic wine with crisp notes of citrus, passion fruit and green pear. It’s the first independent project Fayard took on as a wine consultant.

After a brief tour through the barrel and tank rooms, the seated tasting features four of Covert Estate’s single-varietal wines, paired with Marcona almonds, cured Spanish ham, and artisanal cheeses. The $150 per person fee is gifted back to the visitor with the purchase of three bottles of Covert Estate wine.

The Nicholson Jones Experience starts similarly with Sauvignon Blanc, and a tour followed by a seated tasting of four Nicholson Jones wines, which include Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from acclaimed sites. The $75 per person fee is waived with a three-bottle purchase.

The Julien Fayard Experience takes guests on an exploration of Fayard’s wine portfolio including his Julien Fayard wines, micro lots of wines sourced from acclaimed sites such as Cabernet Sauvignon from Sleeping Lady Vineyard, a Pinot Noir from Sonoma’s Platt Vineyard and a Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay. Recent choices with his Le Vins Julien range included a Coombsville Syrah, Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and a Just Pink! Provençal blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre that’s a nod to Fayard’s roots. The $75 per person tasting fee is gifted with a three-bottle purchase.

The Setting

Fayard and his partners acquired a 12-acre property with vines and built a state of the art winery for Fayard’s own projects and several of his custom wine clients. Though it’s relatively small, Fayard says the 4.5-acre vineyard was appealing because the site, which is mostly well-drained volcanic soil mixed with loam, clay and cobblestones, offers three exposures that bring out different characteristics in their three main varietals.

Most of the vineyard is devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon clones 337, 191 and 341, which all are planted with a southern exposure. They also grow Cabernet Franc, which is planted for an eastern exposure, and Syrah vines that face north. After guests drive through the imposing front gate, they park alongside Cabernet Sauvignon vines. 

Across the parking lot sits the winery, which has the curved, organic feel that’s a signature of architect Juancarlos Fernandez of Signum Architecture; he also designed Cade on Howell Mountain, Brand Napa Valley on Pritchard Hill and Aperture Winery in Windsor. The space includes 11,000 square feet of caves that offer space for aging Fayard’s own wine, plus brands made by five of his clients. 

The tour takes guests past rows of French wine barrels, and winemaking equipment including a bright red Bucher hydraulic basket press and sleek Defranceschi fermentation tanks. The tanks are practical statement pieces that are state-of-the-art; they’re the same brand custom made for Château d’Yquem in Sauternes and Château La Gaffelière in Saint-Emilion.

The tour culminates at a striking tasting salon that overlooks the vineyard. Designer Richard Von Saal appointed the plush rounded space that evokes a pair of intersecting wine barrels with expanses of wood, metal, concrete and stucco. A twisted metal chandelier with a black obsidian core resembles a frozen fire or a ray gun that blasted a hole in the center of the industrial wood table below.

It’s modern, but still a cozy place with low tan leather sofas, plush furry benches and pillows. The salon’s decor includes transparent lucite cabinets filled with dirt from the vineyard. On sunny days, the tasting might be hosted on the umbrella-shaded patio, which is graced with a fire pit, plush blue seating and a panoramic vineyard view. 

History

Fayard was born in Saint-Étienne, France near Lyon and grew up near the French Riviera. His father grew grapes and his aunt and uncle made rosé wine. He was only 9 or 10 when he started working in the business. 

His early wine studies took him to both Bordeaux and the Loire, and he worked at Château Lafite-Rothschild and Smith Haut Lafitte, before coming to the Napa Valley to work at Quintessa in Rutherford. He returned to France for three years to make wine at Château Sainte Marguerite in the Côte d’Azur. When he returned to Napa Valley in 2006, he joined French wine consultant Philippe Melka as his director of winemaking for eight years.

In order to augment his income, Melka encouraged Fayard to take on his own winemaking clients. His first clients were the Nicholsons, and he’s proud that they still work together today. Fayard’s client list includes Le Pich, Purlieu, Brandon Gregory and Somnium, a boutique winery in the Crystal Springs AVA owned by race car driver Danica Patrick. 

In 2023, Fayard became one of the only winemakers in the country to own a bottle shop when he opened Maison Fayard in downtown Napa. The boutique features a French country vibe, tasting bar where guests can sample Fayard’s full range of wine projects and a selection of artisanal foods and gifts imported from France.