During a recent vineyard visit to Beaulieu Vineyards in Napa Valley (BV), we embarked on a sustainability tour led by Will Drayton, BV Winery’s Director of Sustainability. BV manages over 300 acres in the valley, all of which are Napa Green and California Sustainable certified. While they are not classified as organic, the winery strictly avoids the use of traditional herbicides, such as Roundup.
As part of their current practices, they allow an abundance of weeds to grow within the vineyards—a visual choice they frequently find themselves explaining to visitors. According to Will, allowing these plants to grow fosters superior soil health, which directly translates to better quality fruit. He emphasized that healthy soil is vital to tasting the terroir and conveying a true sense of place.
While this approach enhances the land, it does require more frequent mowing. The exact schedule depends on annual rainfall; due to heavy rains this year, the team had to mow three separate times. To optimize efficiency, however, the winery purchased new equipment capable of mowing and weeding directly under the vines simultaneously.
Will noted that these practices have cultivated a healthier microbial environment rich with beneficial insects and nutrients. This thriving ecosystem produces more resilient vines, higher quality grapes, and ultimately, significantly better wines.
Water Management and the Napa River
BV Winery sits in close proximity to the Napa River, which runs dry during the summer months. Although they still need to irrigate slightly, their water usage is minimal. The team utilizes a new monitoring system that tracks the needs of each individual vine. While they are aiming for dry farming, achieving this is challenging given Napa’s lack of summer rain. Furthermore, climate change has made environmental conditions far more extreme, resulting in severe heatwaves and intense rainfall during some years.
In response, the winery is actively working to collaborate with the river rather than fight it. Historically, the river flooded the vineyards annually. Today, the winery has given back more space to the riverbanks by planting native trees and plants, a restoration effort that has welcomed salmon back to the natural habitat.
They have also discovered that allowing the vineyards to flood slightly—to a depth of about a quarter of an inch—is actually beneficial, as it deposits fresh, nutrient-rich soil. To manage this dynamically, they intentionally plant their Sauvignon Blanc vineyards close to the river, while keeping their Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards further back.
Robots in the Vineyard at BV
Innovation at BV also extends to automation; they have begun deploying AI robots in the vineyard for spraying. Among their fleet is an electric, self-driving model from Japan. Will Drayton noted that tractor drivers are increasingly difficult to hire, shifting the labor demand from traditional vineyard workers to specialized robot technicians.
The Historic BV 1 and BV 2 Vineyards
Next, we crossed the street to visit the historic BV 1 and BV 2 vineyards, the original sites that produce the iconic Georges de Latour wine.
We were joined by Nate Weiss, BV’s general manager and senior winemaker. Nate stepped into his role 18 months ago, moving over from Silver Oak where he served as the head winemaker for many years.
He shared that fruit from BV 2 primarily goes into the Georges de Latour blend. Situated closer to the mountains, this vineyard delivers the classic “Rutherford Dust” profile, characterized by a distinct chocolatey note. The site still boasts a wealth of old vines dating back to the 1990s, recognizable by their thick, substantial trunks. Nate described these mature vines as truly beautiful in their architectural structure.
Regenerative Agriculture: Biochar and Compost at BV
We concluded our sustainability tour discussing the benefits of incorporating composting and biochar into the vineyard’s soil management. Biochar is created from charred wood, and BV is currently trying to establish a localized production method within Napa Valley. At present, they must transport the biochar from lumberyards in Northern California, which compromises the sustainability of the practice.
The team highlighted that biochar is exceptionally effective at helping vines survive intense weather anomalies, such as the 2022 heat dome where temperatures in Rutherford skyrocketed between 117°F and 119°F. The vines treated with underlying biochar survived the extreme heat. In contrast, untreated vines saw their grapes completely sunburned and shriveled. Ultimately, those damaged grapes had to be dropped and discarded, rendering them unusable for that year’s wine production.
Working With Mother Nature and Science
By blending historic winemaking tradition with cutting-edge sustainability, BV Winery is proving that the future of Napa Valley viticulture lies in working with nature rather than trying to control it. From embracing beneficial weeds and restoring the Napa River ecosystem to deploying autonomous AI technology, the estate demonstrates that environmental stewardship and premium wine production go hand in hand.
Under the seasoned guidance of leadership like Nate Weiss and Will Drayton, BV’s forward-thinking practices ensure that their historic vineyards will continue to express their unique terroir beautifully for generations to come.
