Caldwell Vineyard comes with one of Napa Valley's great stories. In the 1970s John Caldwell bought 65 acres in Coombsville for about 2,000 dollars an acre, and in 1983 he made four trips across the US-Canada border carrying about 6,000 grafted French clone vines, roughly 1,500 of which were seized by US Customs. The vines that made it through were planted in 1984 and helped introduce new French clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and other varieties to Napa Valley, earning Caldwell a reputation as a pioneer and a famously colorful smuggler. The vineyard later grew to about 120 acres, and for years Caldwell sold grapes to other wineries before making wine under his own name starting in 1998. Tastings are held in a cellar on the estate. Caldwell's wines focus on Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-style blends from Coombsville, the cool southeastern corner of Napa Valley that the family helped put on the map.