Mary Weber NovakFounder

To many, Mary was the kind, energetic woman who zipped around St. Helena
in her little electric red car, smiling at passersby. For those more familiar with themodern history of the valley and its wine industry, Mary also represented the spirit,
graciousness, and vision that helped to build Napa Valley. As the founder ofSpottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery and one of the first women to run a major
Napa Valley winegrowing estate, Mary was a vital part of the fabric of the valley
and its wine community since 1972. Her intelligence, sense of humor, humility,and vivacious personality will continue to inspire us all at the winery.
Through hard work, insight and perseverance, Mary was quietly instrumental
in establishing Spottswoode as one of the valley’s great family-owned wineries anda first growth-caliber property. While doing so, she also helped to pioneer organic
viticulture when she began farming the vineyard organically in 1985 (an approachthat current Vineyard Manager and Winemaker Aron Weinkauf passionately embraces).
Mary also played an integral role in championing women in the wine industry, inthe example she set as a successful winery owner, by encouraging two of her daughters to work alongside her, and through supporting the hiring of several women
winemakers throughout Spottswoode’s storied four-decade history, including Mia
Klein, Pam Starr, Rosemary Cakebread, and Jennifer Williams.
Originally from Los Angeles, Mary earned a degree in education fromStanford before settling in North San Diego County with her husband, Dr. Jack
Novak. On a trip to Napa Valley with their five children in 1970, Mary and Jack fellin love with the rural beauty and relaxed pace of the valley. There, they discovered
Spottswoode, an idyllic 31-acre property in St. Helena with already long-establishedvineyards and exquisite gardens. “I’ve always been a person who loves the land,” said
Mary. “Walking in the gardens and through the vineyards, I knew we could makeour home here.”– More –S p o t t s wo o d e E s t a t e V i n e y a r d & W i n e r y • S T. H e l e n a C A • 707 ∕ 963- 0134 • s p o t t s wo o d e.c o mRooted in the L and, Protecting our PlanetMary Weber Novak, page two

In 1972, the Novaks sold Jack’s medical practice and moved to Napa Valley.
They immediately acquired an adjacent 15-acre parcel of land and began to replant
their vineyard, which had originally been established in 1882. Sadly, on November 14,1977, Jack, then just 44, suffered a major heart attack and passed away. Recognizingthat the best future for her family lay in following through on their shared vision
for Spottswoode, Mary took over management of the Estate and successfullycompleted her first harvest, selling grapes to local vintners, including the Shaferand Duckhorn families.
In 1982, after earning Spottswoode’s reputation as a source for some of Napa
Valley’s most sought-after grapes, Mary hired Winemaker Tony Soter, founded
Spottswoode Winery, and made Spottswoode’s debut 1982 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
Three years later, on Soter’s recommendation, Mary began farming the Spottswoode
Estate Vineyard organically at a time when the notion of organic farming was justin its infancy. After numerous highly acclaimed vintages in the mid-to-late 1980s,including three consecutive years with wines on Wine Spectator’s coveted Top
100 list, Mary stopped selling grapes to other wineries in order to focus exclusively
on Spottswoode’s own wines—a decision that helped to establish Spottswoode asa benchmark of quality for over three decades.
Along the way, Mary was joined at Spottswoode by her daughters, Beth, in
1987, and Lindy, in 1992. Working together, they realized Mary’s vision of establishingSpottswoode as one of Napa Valley’s most esteemed multigenerational family estates,with a reputation for making some of the finest Cabernets in the world. In a recent,historic tasting of all the Spottswoode Cabernets since 1982, Robert Parker ofThe Wine Advocate named Spottswoode “one of Napa Valley’s First-Growth Winesand Vineyards”—an amazing testament to Mary’s deep love of Spottswoode. Overthe years, she succeeded in passing this love, and her indomitable spirit, to her fivechildren and to her grandchildren.

– More –Mary Weber Novak, page three“I had the honor of working alongside my mom for 29 years, and helping her
to build Spottswoode into the incredible estate vineyard and winery that it is today,”says Beth Weber Novak. “She had immense inner strength, an amazing spirit andlove of life, and a dream that Spottswoode would continue through generations. Thishas become a part of me, and of my family, and together we embrace carrying her
legacy forward by continuing to nurture this wonderful estate property, which weare so fortunate to be a part of. We are honored to continue the work which she
and our dad started when we moved here in 1972.”
Mary and her daughters have made an enduring commitment to stewardshipat Spottswoode, adopting solar energy, spearheading the restoration of Spring Creek,
annually contributing 1% of winery profits to environmental causes through 1% for
the Planet, and making notable contributions to the Land Trust of Napa County,
Garden Conservancy, Yosemite Conservancy, and the Trust for Public Land. In addition, in 2010, Mary and Beth served as Honorary Chairs of Auction Napa Valley,
which supports Napa Valley non-profits, including many that focus on healthcare
and education.
When Mary stepped back from daily winery operations, she continued totend to the estate’s historic gardens, as she had since 1972, and to walk in the vineyard
every day with her black lab, Riley. Visitors to the legendary Spottswoode garden
parties, held at Mary’s home, always received a warm welcome as she poured each aglass of her favorite Sauvignon Blanc. Her hospitable spirit, love of wine, land, andfamily will continue to guide her children and grandchildren in the most special legacy called Spottswoode.

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