Drawing its name from the Spanish word for bear, Oso Vineyard pays homage to the California black bears that frequent the vineyard. The sustainably farmed 95-acre Oso Vineyard is located between Ink Grade and Howell Mountain on the east side of Napa Valley.
A small area at the top of the Oso Vineyard, designated K Block, is a key source of top quality Bordeaux varieties for the Emblem and Animo Cabernet Sauvignon. At over 35 years old, the K Block is where some of the vineyard's oldest hillside vines are planted. At the top of the hill, the fruit is exposed to gusty mountain winds that blow through the vineyard rows and keep the grapes cool.
The Heritage Block of Oso Vineyard is planted to Sauvignon Blanc, from cuttings thought to be among the oldest surviving Sauvignon Blanc vines in North America. The original vines trace their lineage directly to Château d’Yquem, arriving in California in the 1880s through Charles Wetmore who was the head of the California State Viticultural Commission. The new vineyard was planted to the same rootstock, and used 19th century style trellising, to preserve the remarkable living history of the plant genetics.