PRODUCER: Enfield Wine Co.
REGION: Napa, Sonoma, Contra Costa; California, USA
WINEMAKERS: John Enfield Lockwood
Despite the staggering cost of land, grapes, and equipment in Napa & Sonoma, John Enfield Lockwood and his wife Amy, are proving that with determination and intelligence, a meaningful space in the country’s most competitive wine regions is attainable. Operating without his own vineyard, winery, or tasting room, John’s minimalistic approach and focus on unsung vineyards has chiselled a unique space for Enfield Wine Co. These are unique wines of authenticity, modesty, and articulate elegance.
"We do not subscribe to the ideal of the perfect wine, but to the notion that the very best wines tell a unique story." - John Enfield Lockwood
WINERY HISTORY
Meet John Lockwood, a D.C. native who swapped guitar strings for grapevines. Moving to California to craft guitars, he unexpectedly fell into the world of wine through a chance meeting with David Mahaffey, owner of Heron Lake Vineyard in Napa. This spurred a whirlwind journey: intensive internships with industry giants like Ted Lemon at Littorai and Ehren Jordan at Failla, as well as hands-on experience managing remote vineyard sites on the rugged Sonoma Coast. Come 2010, an opportunity knocked - unsold Heron Lake fruit. Seizing it, John transformed those grapes into the first bottles of Enfield Wine Co. Nearly a decade-and-a-half later, John continues to create some of the States’ most unique wines.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
Seeking out vineyards that have a distinct sense of place, regardless of grape variety, region or vine age, John works with small independent growers who farm organically and sustainably. Fruit is harvested for freshness and balance and the wines ferment naturally. From Grenache grown in Contra Costa to Napa Chardonnay and nearly everything in between, John’s wines display consistent balance and freshness. Snappy, well-structured, and concentrated, Enfield wines display both the personality of their winemaker and the land from which they’re sourced. Winemaking is dedicated not to the pursuit of perfection, but to the ideal that the very best wines tell a unique story. The range of wines extends from fresh, mineral-driven everyday drinkers to quirky, off-the-beaten-path and age-worthy wines of distinct power. John’s dedication to natural winemaking creates vintages of outstanding authenticity, modesty, and articulate elegance.
“We approach our farming through the interpretation of each site and what each wine wants to be, this guides all our decisions in the vineyard. We focus on building healthy soil for deep roots, and minimal use of irrigation and chemicals." - John Enfield Lockwood
GRAPE VARIETIES
Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Graciano, Syrah
IN THE PRESS
"How do you make a small fortune in the wine business? Start out with a big one. Yes, it’s an old joke, but that does not diminish its essential truth. To live the mythical good life as a wine producer is excruciatingly difficult, unless you start out with a lot of money, inherited vineyards or both. Particularly in California. Especially in Napa Valley. Even so, a number of young, intrepid winemakers are demonstrating that it can be done, by working around the edges, going where few have gone before and putting in plenty of sweat equity. Some are making great wines, too. John Lockwood of Enfield Wine Company is one of those dedicated few, finding ways to make a small amount of captivating wine in the Napa Valley area without much money and with no vineyard holdings. While many winemakers in similar positions work day jobs to support their own labels as side projects, Mr. Lockwood, 38, has gone all-in at Enfield." - Eric Asimov, New York Times
