Learn more about Napa Valley's First Winemaker
John Moyer Patchett
Bradshaw House at Patchett's Grove
Patchett's Grove Winery
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John Moyer Patchett: Napa Valley's First Commercial Vintner.
Patchett's Grove Winery
Bradshaw House at Patchett's Grove
Patchett's Grove Winery
Patchett's Grove Winery; the genesis of the wine industry in Napa Valley.
Bradshaw House at Patchett's Grove
Bradshaw House at Patchett's Grove
Bradshaw House at Patchett's Grove
Bradshaw Manor built by Benjamin Bradshaw on Patchett's Grove
Benjamin Bradshaw
Published Book refernces
Bradshaw House at Patchett's Grove
Benjamin Bradshaw: an important figure in the early days of the Napa Valley Wine Industry
Newspaper articles
Published Book refernces
Published Book refernces
A collection of newspaper clippings from 1860-1981
Published Book refernces
Published Book refernces
Published Book refernces
Pages copied from books referencing John Patchett's role in the wine industry
John Moyer Patchett Napa Valley's first Commercial Vintner
Origins and Early Life
John Moyer Patchett was born in 1797, part of an early American generation shaped by westward expansion, agricultural enterprise, and the search for opportunity beyond established eastern settlements. While details of his early life remain less documented than his later achievements in California, what emerges clearly from historical records is that Patchett possessed both the independence and practical skillset characteristic of pioneering settlers.
By the mid-19th century, as California drew migrants during and after the Gold Rush, Patchett joined the movement west. Unlike many who came solely in pursuit of gold, he would ultimately distinguish himself not as a miner, but as a cultivator—and more significantly, as one of the first individuals to recognize the agricultural potential of Napa Valley for wine production.
Arrival in Napa Valley and Land Acquisition
By the early 1850s, John Patchett had established himself in Napa Valley, acquiring a substantial tract of land along Napa Creek. This area would later be known as Patchett’s Grove, a name that appears repeatedly in historical descriptions of early Napa land divisions.
At this time, Napa Valley was still in a formative stage. Settlement was sparse, infrastructure limited, and agricultural practices largely experimental. Grapes had been planted in the region, but primarily for local or personal use rather than for commercial production.
Patchett’s landholding was significant not only in size but in location—positioned within what would later become part of the central Napa area. His decision to establish himself there placed him at the geographic and economic center of what would soon become a developing agricultural community.
The First Commercial Vineyard and Winery
It is in the late 1850s that John Patchett’s historical importance becomes unmistakable.
By approximately 1852, Patchett had planted vineyards on his property. Within a few years, he moved beyond cultivation into production. In 1859, he constructed a stone wine cellar and began producing wine in commercial quantities.
Historical accounts consistently describe Patchett as:
- producing several hundred gallons of wine annually
- selling that wine commercially
- and operating what is widely recognized as the first commercial winery in Napa Valley
This distinction is critical.
While other individuals, including figures such as Charles Krug, would later achieve prominence in Napa wine history, Patchett’s work predates those developments. His operation represents the moment when Napa Valley transitioned from experimental grape growing to organized, market-oriented wine production.
In this sense, Patchett’s enterprise marks the beginning of Napa Valley as a wine-producing region in the modern, commercial sense.
Patchett’s Role in Early Napa Viticulture
Patchett’s contributions were not limited to his own production.
As one of the earliest individuals to cultivate grapes at scale and produce wine for sale, he effectively established a working model for viticulture in the region. His vineyard and winery demonstrated that Napa Valley possessed the soil, climate, and conditions necessary to support sustained wine production.
There are also historical references indicating that Patchett employed or worked alongside other early figures in Napa wine history. Notably, Charles Krug, who would later found his own winery in St. Helena, is understood to have been employed by Patchett during this early period.
This places Patchett not only as a pioneer but as a precursor and enabler of the broader Napa wine movement.
Personal Life and Family Connections
In 1865, John Patchett married Martha Bradshaw, a widow with a son, Benjamin Bradshaw.
Through this marriage, Patchett became stepfather to Bradshaw, creating a direct familial link between the founding generation of Napa’s wine industry and the next generation of local landowners and agricultural participants.
This connection would later prove significant, as Bradshaw inherited and maintained ties to Patchett’s land and legacy, ensuring continuity beyond Patchett’s lifetime.
Later Years and the Loss of the Winery
Patchett continued his agricultural and wine-related activities through the 1860s and into the 1870s.
However, historical accounts indicate that his original winery structure—constructed of stone in 1859—was eventually lost, reportedly due to a lightning strike and subsequent destruction in the late 19th century.
Despite the physical loss of the structure, the significance of the site remained. The land itself—Patchett’s Grove—continued to be recognized as one of the foundational locations of Napa Valley wine production.
Death and Legacy
John Moyer Patchett died in 1876, leaving behind a legacy that would only grow in importance as Napa Valley evolved into an internationally recognized wine region.
Though his name is sometimes less widely known than later figures, historical research and contemporary accounts consistently affirm his role as:
- The first commercial winemaker in Napa Valley
- One of the earliest vineyard operators in the region
- A foundational figure in Napa’s agricultural and economic development
His work established not only the feasibility of wine production in Napa, but its future.