Chapter I

History

A LEGACY OF WINE

The Bourn Years

A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
1872 – 1960

Marciano Estate revitalized a proud winegrowing history that dates to the mid-19th centuryThe property upon which our vineyards are planted was part of the Bourn family estate, a country residence for one of San Francisco’s most successful and influential families during the time of California’s Gold RushWhen the Bourns purchased the St. Helena property in 1872, the estate – which the family called Madrono – included over 100 acres of vineyards, orchards, and grazing pastures, two cottages and a home. The home still stands on our property today. 

Madrono remained in the Bourn family through successive generations, and though parcels of the property were split off and handed down to various descendants, the home and surrounding 610 acres remained in family hands until the late 1950s. Eventually, the estate was sold to the Christian Brothers, and with the addition of a dormitory and small chapel, it served as a Catholic retreat center from 1961 to 1994.

In 2006, Maurice Marciano – our founder and proprietor purchased the property, and the next chapter began. 

Revitalization

MARCIANO PURCHASE
2006 –

“I’ll never forget the first time I visited the property that would become Marciano Estate.  It was a cool, clear day in January, and as I walked up the hillside behind the home and barn, I came upon a stand of Douglas Fir trees perched above the 20-acre vineyard.  I stopped in my tracks.  Suddenly, I had a feeling.  This was it; this is where I belong.  There was a kind of magic, a moment of peace.  When a soil test came back showing a premium quality of nutrients capable of producing great cabernet, I purchased the property. 

Over the next several years, I took on one of the greatest projects of my life: creating a winery estate capable of making a truly great wine. There was much to do. I pulled out all the vines and asked David Abreu to join me to help with replanting the 

vineyard with the very best blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. I built a winery, hiring the very talented architect Howard Backen, who incorporated into the design the very same St. Helena quarried stone that graces the property’s historic family home.  Finally, I hired olive consultant Milagros Castro and planted olive trees, groves of Italian and Spanish varieties that we use to create our very own signature blend of extra virgin olive oil.  Today, many years later, Marciano Estate carries on a tradition that began over a century ago, a place where dreams and passion have combined to fulfill a property’s destiny. 

Our first great vintage was 2012, a fine growing season in Napa Valley by all standards, and the year our new vineyard came into maturity.”