Respect the land and it will give you its best

Storybook Mountain Vineyards, originally known as Grimm Vineyards and Wine Vaults, was founded in 1883 by Adam Grimm, scion of a German family involved in winegrowing since 1540. In 1976, Jerry Seps, a former professor of European history, and his wife, Sigrid, fell in love with the wild, abandoned site in Calistoga and purchased 90 acres surrounding the original winery, planting roughly half to grapevines. The Seps renamed the vineyard Storybook Mountain to denote its fairytale beauty and to honor the brothers Grimm. Advised by legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff that the hills above Calistoga, with their red clay-loam soils and eastern exposures, were the best place in California to plant Zinfandel grapes, the Seps replanted the vineyard to Zinfandel, subsequently adding Cabernet Sauvignon and other red Bordeaux varieties. A leader in founding ZAP, Dr. Seps was its first President and long served on the Board. His wine has graced the tables of Presidents, Clinton, Bush, and Obama.