In 1997, Charlie Crocker and Pam Starr established Crocker & Starr on the Crocker Estate in St. Helena, resurrecting a world-class vineyard with roots dating back to the 1870s. Charlie is co-owner with Pam, the winery manager and winemaker. Between Charlie’s historic estate that has grown grapes for over 140 years and Pam’s winemaking expertise, vision, and business acumen, the partners proved to be a spectacular match.
The winery handcrafts a small production of exquisite wines from select blocks within the 100-acre vineyard. The vines are cultivated following organic principles, and the clusters are hand harvested, transformed into wine through cutting edge winemaking techniques, blending the best of Old World philosophy and New World fruit. Starr presides over the estate’s wines to capture the essence of the vineyard’s extraordinary terroir. The result is complex and balanced, elegant wines that express the aromatic profile of the Crocker Vineyard.
The estate Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard, named “Stone Place” yields a wine of distinction with a slight mineralogy and a deep brooding quality of black chocolate that Charlie and Pam consider their crowning achievement. The winery also makes a Cabernet Franc, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Malbec blend named “Casali,” and two wines – a Napa appellation Cabernet blend and a Sauvignon Blanc blend – under the label “Bridesmaid.” Crocker & Starr’s Sauvignon Blanc was rated the “12th Best Wine in the World” in Wine Spectator’s 2006 “Top 100 List.” In 2014, Crocker & Starr began work on their new production facility on the historic Crocker Estate. The building was completed in the summer of 2016, just in time for the 20th anniversary of Charlie and Pam’s collaboration.