Jaeger Vineyards

Big Ranch Road runs north from the city of Napa through the flat vineyard land of the Oak Knoll District, and Jaeger Vineyards is listed at number 5100, with Salvador Ramos as manager. Public descriptions call it a wine-grape growing operation that supplies fruit to Napa Valley wineries rather than a winery with its own label or tasting room, which makes the directory's construction-contractor category a filing error. This entry was built from public records and directory listings, and it is one where the owner's confirmation matters more than usual: at least one listing marks the business closed, and the phone on file matches no other source.

A grape grower, not a tasting room

A vineyard business of this kind typically farms its own acreage under long-term grape contracts with wineries, and its work is agricultural: pruning through the winter, canopy and irrigation management in summer, crop estimates in July, and harvest from late August into October, when the fruit is picked, weighed at the winery scale and paid for by the ton. Some growers also sell small lots to home winemakers or custom-crush clients, lease land, or offer vineyard management for neighbouring owners. There is usually nothing to visit; a grower's gate on Big Ranch Road is a farm gate.

If you are buying fruit or seeking work

Wineries and custom-crush buyers should ask which varieties and clones are planted, the rootstock and vine age, farming practices and any sustainability program the vineyard is enrolled in, and whether the fruit is sold by the ton or by the acre. Ask for the last few vintages' brix and yield data, and get delivery timing and sorting expectations in writing. Seasonal workers should ask whether the vineyard hires directly or through a labour contractor, and confirm the contractor's state registration. Everyone should call before driving out; a grower's office is often a house on the property.

Oak Knoll and the valley floor

The Oak Knoll District sits between the city of Napa and Yountville, east of Highway 29 and west of the Silverado Trail, in Napa County. Fruit from here goes to wineries up and down the valley: Yountville, Saint Helena and Calistoga to the north, American Canyon and Vallejo to the south, and across to Sonoma and Fairfield.

The number on file is 707-287-4007. If the vineyard is still operating, the chamber would like to hear from whoever runs it so this page can be confirmed or retired.