According to the Napa Wine Project: "Stony Hill Vineyard was a complete anomaly in Napa Valley until 2003 – producing only …drum roll… white wine, and did so since 1952 (their first commercial release). In fact they were one of the first Napa Valley wineries built after prohibition (who are still in production)... Stony Hill was founded by Fred and Eleanor McCrea in 1943 when looking for a summer home, they purchased 160 hillside acres (initially a goat ranch). Prior to founding Stony Hill, Fred spent his entire career working in advertising for McCann-Erickson in San Francisco (now McCann). This was during the height of World War II and not much development occurred on the property for a few years. After they produced their first vintage, they hung a sign out on St. Helena Highway saying “visitors by appointment” – today a sign still says the same thing in the same location. They built the winery in 1951 and bonded it in 1952. The first vintage was several hundred cases of a 1952 Chardonnay which they labeled as Pinot Chardonnay (as was common in those days). Their focus has always been and is still on producing fruit driven, non-oakey, and no malolactic fermented Chardonnays. In other words making Chardonnay like it used to be made and producing a wine reflective of the variety rather than post initial fermentation manipulation. This is quite refreshing in today’s world of oak driven, malolactic fermented Chardonnays."