EMH Vineyards began when Merrill Lindquist purchased a small Calistoga parcel in 1999 and kept a half ton of Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2000 harvest to make her first wine with winemaker Art Finkelstein. The site sits near Pickett Road east of the Silverado Trail on gravelly loam soils planted to clone 4 Cabernet. Early lots showed enough promise that Lindquist stopped selling fruit and devoted the vineyard entirely to the Black Cat bottling. Production remained around one hundred cases in the early years. Farming and winemaking stay focused on this single vineyard, with small lot fermentations designed to preserve the character of the site.