Napa Valley's Historic Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery Announces B Corp Recertification

NAPA VALLEY’S HISTORIC SPOTTSWOODE ESTATE VINEYARD & WINERY ANNOUNCES B CORP RECERTIFICATION

The winery is also excited to announce a trio of milestone anniversary releases, including the 40^th vintage of the iconic Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. – Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery is proud to announce that is has been recertified as a B Corp. Widely regarded as the gold standard for social and environmental business practices, B Corp certification measures a company’s entire social and environmental performance, and includes independent third-party assessments of a company’s impact on its workers, community, environment, and customers. In 2020, Spottswoode became the first Napa Valley winery to become a B Corp when it accomplished the rare feat of achieving certification on its first attempt. Using the original certification as a baseline, Spottswoode has been continually improving its practices in the core B Corp areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Customers, and the Environment. As a result, through the recertification process, Spottswoode increased its B Corp score from 80.2 to 105 points, which is a significant achievement.

Since its original B Corp certification, Spottswoode has embraced new practices and developed multiple policies and protocols that contributed to the dramatic increase in the winery’s B Corp score. These include earning TRUE Zero Waste Gold Level certification, Demeter Biodynamic certification, and Regenerative Organic certification. The winery has also developed and formalized new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies to recruit more diverse applicants. In addition, it has been working with its grower partners for its Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc and Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon to transition to organic farming.

As an early member of International Wineries for Climate Action, Spottswoode is also a partner of the United Nations Race to Zero campaign, which commits it to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Spottswoode has continued its partnership with 1% for the Planet, which started in 2007, and to date it has surpassed $1.4 million in charitable donations to an array of impactful environmental groups that include the Land Trust of Napa County, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Napa Valley Vine Trail, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“As one of the few certifications that embraces the intersectionality of environmental and social issues, our B Corp journey has been an incredibly valuable tool both for quantifying our efforts and for developing a path towards constant improvement,” said second generation President and CEO Beth Weber Novak, who is a past president of the Napa Valley Vintners and a current board member. “This is a defining moment for the environment and our industry. The actions we take, or don’t take, especially in the next ten years, will have implications for generations to come. For a region of Napa Valley’s quality and stature, it is incumbent upon us to be leaders, and to think long-term about the preservation of the environment that has been the wellspring of our success. It has been exciting and validating to have two other Napa Valley wineries—Clif Family Winery and Trois Noix—recently join us in achieving B Corp certification. I hope that we are the first of many.”

As Spottswoode cements its reputation as one of the world’s greenest wineries, it is also celebrating three milestone anniversary releases in 2024. The 2021 Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, which will be released in September, marks the 40^th vintage of the Cabernet Sauvignon made from the Spottswoode Estate Vineyard, which was first planted in 1882. The 2023 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc is also celebrating its 40th vintage, with the 2021 Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon marking its 20^th vintage. In recent vintages, the Spottswoode team has been collaborating with their grower partners through education and incentives to transition both the Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc and Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon to 100% organically farmed vineyard sources. Both wines are produced from a blend of estate fruit and grapes from family-owned vineyard partners, and Spottswoode expects that the wines will be produced exclusively from organically grown grapes by 2025.

“Being good stewards of our land, people and planet have been an important part of who we are since we first started farming organically in 1985,” added Weber Novak. “Whether its adopting new regenerative agricultural practices, encouraging other winegrowers to embrace organic farming, supporting worthy organizations that are fighting climate change, or becoming a B Corp, we are always looking for new ways to champion the environment and better our communities. When you commit to change year after year, you can make a real impact over time.” 

 

About Spottswoode Estate 

After a decade of growing wine grapes at their historic Napa Valley vineyard, the Novak family made its first vintage of Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon in 1982. In the years since, Spottswoode has become one of Napa Valley’s defining wineries. Stewarded by Beth Weber Novak, Spottswoode has stayed true to an elegant, balanced and age-worthy style that captures the character of each vintage and the complexity of the Spottswoode Estate Vineyard. Originally planted in 1882, the Spottswoode Estate Vineyard has been farmed organically since 1985 and has earned acclaim as one of the finest sites for Cabernet Sauvignon in the world.

About B Corp Certification:

The certification is issued by B Lab, the not-for-profit organization behind the B Corp movement. The certification covers five key areas: governance, worker, community, environment and customers. The certification process is rigorous, with applicants required to reach certain benchmark scores while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, staff compensation, diversity and corporate transparency. To complete the certification, the company then legally embeds its commitment to purpose beyond profit in the company articles. To date, there are over 3,500 Certified B Corps in 150 industries and 101 countries.