In May 1971, with a partnership of family and friends, Stuart Smith bought a vineyard on Spring Mountain, which today is Smith-Madrone Vineyards and Winery. He was 22 years old and had just received his B.A. in Economics from UC Berkeley and was taking classes towards his Master's in Viticulture at UC Davis. 48 years later, Smith-Madrone is going strong and Stu is full of ideas, opinions, and perspective!

Here are the notes:

Stu tells us how a 22 year old viticulture student took a trip to Napa and wound up buying what would become Smith-Madrone
We discuss what Napa was like in the 1970s v. today
We chat about what drew Stu to Spring Mountain and the effort it took to restore this pre-phylloxera vineyard area, atop Spring Mountain, to a modern vineyard and winery
We discuss why Smith-Madrone grows what it does -- including Riesling
Stu talks about why Smith-Madrone has stayed small
And finally Stu shares his theories on why organic, biodynamic and conventional farming are all incredibly problematic types of agriculture

Thanks to Smith-Madrone, whose wines I love and who joined us for Underground Wine Events, DC!

Thanks to our sponsors this week:

YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople

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Mason & Dixon: Chapters 61-65