A 40-acre mountaintop estate at 1,500 feet above Bennett Valley, built by John and Jan Graves with hand-dug, Monet-inspired water lily ponds. Cabernet from Bennett Mountain and Napa's Oakville, Howell Mountain, and Coombsville. Every visit begins with a 90-minute walk through vineyards and gardens, ending in a seated tasting.
Coursey Graves is a small family estate perched at 1,500 feet on Bennett Mountain, founded by John and Denise Graves with founding winemaker Cabell Coursey. The Graves family acquired the 40-acre property — then a former winery and sheep farm — in 2015, and the Coursey Graves brand launched its first vintage in 2017. The estate farms 13 acres of Bordeaux and Rhône varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah) on rich volcanic soil, with additional sourcing from carefully farmed sites on the Sonoma Coast and from Howell Mountain, Coombsville, and Oakville in Napa. Cool ocean breezes through the Petaluma Gap and the property's elevation produce wines of fine texture, freshness, and complexity. Bennett Valley AVA.
Bennett Mountain Estate Red Blend, Bennett Valley — The flagship Bordeaux-style blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec) from volcanic mountaintop vines.
Estate Cabernet Sauvignon — A structured, age-worthy Cabernet drawing on high-elevation Bennett Mountain and Napa hillside fruit.
Estate Syrah, Bennett Valley — A highly aromatic, finesse-driven Syrah from steep, rocky estate slopes; only about 150 cases made.
Sonoma Coast Chardonnay — A precise, heritage-clone Chardonnay from the Durell and Charles Heintz vineyards, barrel-fermented then rested on lees.
Estate Malbec, Bennett Valley — A small-lot varietal bottling from the Bordeaux-planted estate, which also grows Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Founded by John and Denise Graves with winemaker Cabell Coursey, Coursey Graves is a boutique estate perched 1,500 feet up Bennett Mountain. Tastings (begun in 2021) wind through hillside vineyards, Monet-inspired gardens and cave cellars, focused on Bordeaux-style reds, Syrah and Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.
Owners John and Jan Graves built Coursey Graves as a vertical estate — the road climbs steadily from the valley floor to a mountain ridge planted with 13 acres of vineyards and framed by Monet-style water lily ponds built by the owners themselves. The tasting experience is 90 minutes by design: a guided walk through the hillside vineyards and gardens, followed by a seated tasting of Bordeaux-style wines with a curated charcuterie. The estate sources Cabernet Sauvignon from additional vineyard sites in Napa's Oakville, Howell Mountain, and Coombsville — blended into the Coursey Graves portfolio alongside the estate Bennett Mountain fruit. Reservations are required, small groups preferred, and the drive up the private gated road rewards the commitment.
Cabell Coursey's winemaking obsession began with a Burgundy harvest during an undergraduate semester abroad, and never left. After his BS he spent several vintages picking grapes and scrubbing floors in Burgundy, then moved to Oregon's Willamette Valley before traveling to Christchurch, New Zealand, where he earned degrees in Enology and Viticulture from Lincoln University, focusing on cool-climate viticulture. He held winemaking positions at Alder Springs Vineyard, DuMOL, and Kosta Browne before partnering with John Graves to launch Coursey Graves in 2017, high above Bennett Valley at 1,500 feet on Bennett Mountain. The estate vineyard — 13 acres of Bordeaux and Rhône varietals on rich volcanic soil — is supplemented by sources from carefully farmed sites on the Sonoma Coast and from Howell Mountain, Coombsville, and Oakville in Napa. Coursey's stylistic signature emphasizes purity of fruit, a light touch with oak, and an intentional tilt toward leanness without sacrificing flavor or mouthfeel — built around plush French varietals that benefit from Bennett Mountain's high elevation, cool evening winds, and temperate climate.
John Graves is the proprietor who, over eight years, transformed a rugged Bennett Mountain ridgetop into Coursey Graves with his winemaking partner Cabell Coursey. A technology entrepreneur by background, Graves envisioned the 40-acre estate at 1,500 feet — with its Monet-inspired gardens, signature pond, handmade bridge, and sweeping views toward the Sonoma Coast. “When we first walked the property together, we knew it had the potential to be spectacular,” he has recalled. The estate produces French-inspired, Bordeaux-style wines from its high-elevation hillside vineyards along with select Sonoma Coast and Napa sites.
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Bennett Mountain Estate Red Blend, Bennett Valley — The flagship Bordeaux-style blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec) from volcanic mountaintop vines.
Estate Cabernet Sauvignon — A structured, age-worthy Cabernet drawing on high-elevation Bennett Mountain and Napa hillside fruit.
Estate Syrah, Bennett Valley — A highly aromatic, finesse-driven Syrah from steep, rocky estate slopes; only about 150 cases made.
Sonoma Coast Chardonnay — A precise, heritage-clone Chardonnay from the Durell and Charles Heintz vineyards, barrel-fermented then rested on lees.
Estate Malbec, Bennett Valley — A small-lot varietal bottling from the Bordeaux-planted estate, which also grows Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Founded by John and Denise Graves with winemaker Cabell Coursey, Coursey Graves is a boutique estate perched 1,500 feet up Bennett Mountain. Tastings (begun in 2021) wind through hillside vineyards, Monet-inspired gardens and cave cellars, focused on Bordeaux-style reds, Syrah and Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.
Coursey Graves is a small family estate perched at 1,500 feet on Bennett Mountain, founded by John and Denise Graves with founding winemaker Cabell Coursey. The Graves family acquired the 40-acre property — then a former winery and sheep farm — in 2015, and the Coursey Graves brand launched its first vintage in 2017. The estate farms 13 acres of Bordeaux and Rhône varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah) on rich volcanic soil, with additional sourcing from carefully farmed sites on the Sonoma Coast and from Howell Mountain, Coombsville, and Oakville in Napa. Cool ocean breezes through the Petaluma Gap and the property's elevation produce wines of fine texture, freshness, and complexity. Bennett Valley AVA.
Owners John and Jan Graves built Coursey Graves as a vertical estate — the road climbs steadily from the valley floor to a mountain ridge planted with 13 acres of vineyards and framed by Monet-style water lily ponds built by the owners themselves. The tasting experience is 90 minutes by design: a guided walk through the hillside vineyards and gardens, followed by a seated tasting of Bordeaux-style wines with a curated charcuterie. The estate sources Cabernet Sauvignon from additional vineyard sites in Napa's Oakville, Howell Mountain, and Coombsville — blended into the Coursey Graves portfolio alongside the estate Bennett Mountain fruit. Reservations are required, small groups preferred, and the drive up the private gated road rewards the commitment.
Cabell Coursey's winemaking obsession began with a Burgundy harvest during an undergraduate semester abroad, and never left. After his BS he spent several vintages picking grapes and scrubbing floors in Burgundy, then moved to Oregon's Willamette Valley before traveling to Christchurch, New Zealand, where he earned degrees in Enology and Viticulture from Lincoln University, focusing on cool-climate viticulture. He held winemaking positions at Alder Springs Vineyard, DuMOL, and Kosta Browne before partnering with John Graves to launch Coursey Graves in 2017, high above Bennett Valley at 1,500 feet on Bennett Mountain. The estate vineyard — 13 acres of Bordeaux and Rhône varietals on rich volcanic soil — is supplemented by sources from carefully farmed sites on the Sonoma Coast and from Howell Mountain, Coombsville, and Oakville in Napa. Coursey's stylistic signature emphasizes purity of fruit, a light touch with oak, and an intentional tilt toward leanness without sacrificing flavor or mouthfeel — built around plush French varietals that benefit from Bennett Mountain's high elevation, cool evening winds, and temperate climate.
John Graves is the proprietor who, over eight years, transformed a rugged Bennett Mountain ridgetop into Coursey Graves with his winemaking partner Cabell Coursey. A technology entrepreneur by background, Graves envisioned the 40-acre estate at 1,500 feet — with its Monet-inspired gardens, signature pond, handmade bridge, and sweeping views toward the Sonoma Coast. “When we first walked the property together, we knew it had the potential to be spectacular,” he has recalled. The estate produces French-inspired, Bordeaux-style wines from its high-elevation hillside vineyards along with select Sonoma Coast and Napa sites.
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