On Wednesday, January 21, 2026, we interviewed Cole Ballentine once again. Cole is the co-winemaker, with his father William Ballentine Jr., at William Cole Winery. We first interviewed Cole when we covered his super premium Predecessor Estate wines in April of 2025. This time around we covered six wines from the William Cole winery. We started with a 2023 Chardonnay. Then we tried a 2022 red blend. From there we covered four Cabernet Sauvignons. Those Cabs were from the following vintages: 2018, 2022, 2016, and 2009. It was a terrific portfolio tasting. In this post, you can learn what is new with Cole, learn about the William Cole Winery, and read our reviews of all these impressive wines.
Before we get to the wines, I thought I would share some tidbits that Cole shared in the interview.
- Tell us a little bit about your dad, William Ballentine?
- Dad was involved with Ballentine Winery prior to moving on the St. Clement in 1998. He worked there until 2001. After leaving he became devoted to his own estate project and did some consulting as well.
- In 1999 he bought an old ghost winery across street from where he grew up. That winery eventually became William Cole Winery.
- That old stone winery had its doors closed since prohibition. They enthusiastically began many years of renovation from the original 1873 stone building. The property was eventually marked as a historical landmark and the cellar doors were reopened in 2004. You can read about its history here.
- William and Jane started the brand in 1997.
- From 1997 to 2011 they only made one wine. “Cuvee Claire” Cabernet Sauvignon.
- Historically mom (Jane) did not like Chardonnay. However, she went to France on a wine trip and was introduced to white Burgundy by Heidi Barrett.
- From then on Chardonnay was blessed and “Cuvée Jane Marie” was launched.
- Cole did note that mom runs the show.
- “Cuvée Jane Marie” is sourced from the Antica property in Atlas Peak.
- It is mountain fruit. Typically acidic and displays citrus flavors.
- While the 2023 we covered comes across as lush.
- Cole states the 2022 and the 2024 are more acidic.
- William and Cole make all the wines for both William Cole and Predecessor wine labels.
- They tend to pick later than most folks.
- All the wines from the William Cole, Predecessor, and Abditory projects are DTC and club offerings.
- They tend to hold back 1/3 of all the wines they make for future release in 5-to-10-year intervals.
- Who Claire in “Cuvée Claire”?
- That would be Cole’s sister.
- Claire has a master’s in digital marketing.
- She re-did the website and oversees public relations and marketing.
- She also helps mom with the back of the house responsibilities.
- What is the story behind “Stonemaiden?”
- When William was at St. Clement, he made their flagship wine called “Oroppas.” That was the original influence for this Bordeaux styled blend.
- A lot of the equipment at the William Cole winery came from St. Clement.
- Mom came up with the name. She said every great ship has a name. This wine was named for the 1873 stone building.
- A cool tidbit. The blend % is on the cork.
- The “Small Lot Series” wine.
- They started the program in 2011.
- Each year is from a different appellation.
- They only make 50-75 cases each year.
- The vineyard for the 2018 borders Yountville and Stags Leap.
- Here is a list of the historical pattern.
- 2011 Mt. Veeder
- 2012 Spring Mountain
- 2013 Oakville
- 2014 Coombsville
- 2015 St. Helena
- 2016 Calistoga
- 2017 Did not make.
- 2018 Yountville
- 2019 Rutherford
- 2020 Did not make.
- 2021 Not noted
- 2022 Stag’s Leap
- 2023 Mt. Veeder – Re-looping.
- What are your “Ten” Wines?
- They blend a barrel from each vintage for 10 years.
- In 2023, William Cole Vineyards acquired a vineyard property on Spring Mountain and named it Abditory Vineyard.
- “Abditory” is derived from an old English word. An abditory is a place of hiding or preserving one’s valuables.
- For the Ballentine’s, the Abditory Vineyard is a hidden treasure of Napa Valley.
- They fixed up the house on the site. It will be the winery.
- It is permitted and started hosting guests in February.
- This location will be the tasting room for their Spring Mountain (Abditory) and Howell Mountain (Predecessor) wines.
- They released four wines from here so far.
- Three Cabernet Sauvignons. (2019, 2021, and 2022)
- A White Blend from 2025 made from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Riesling.
- Are you still making Smoking Gun wines to sell wholesale?
- “Yes! The currant vintage is 2021.”
- He scaled back production in 2023 to 800 cases.
- There are two Podcasts interviews with Cole from last year that are definitely worth checking out. They go into even more details of the family’s history and their winery projects.
- The first is an interview with Ray Fister on his Life between the Vines podcast in February 2025. It was this podcast that led me to Cole.
- Next up is an interview with Jim Duane on his Inside Winemaking podcast.
Below is a summary of the wine offerings from William Cole that we covered with Cole. The links below are to our full reviews. If you are interested in ordering and trying these super-premium wines, you will have to become a member. Allocation members receive first access to newly released, exclusive library, and barrel aged wines offered throughout the year. Learn more about becoming an allocation member. If you are interested in a specific vintage, please email them at info@williamcolevineyards.com
- William Cole 2023 Chardonnay “Cuvée Jane Marie” (Napa Valley) $95 (KWGTP 94.5)
- William Cole 2022 Red Blend “Stonemaiden” (Napa Valley) $165 (KWGTP 94)
- William Cole 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon “Small Lot Series” (Yountville) $215 (KWGTP 94)
- William Cole 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon “Cuvée Claire” (Napa Valley) $195 (KWGTP 93)
- William Cole 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon “Cuvée Claire” (Napa Valley) $230 (KWGTP 96)
- William Cole 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon “Cuvée Claire” (Napa Valley) $310 (KWGTP 95)
You can find reviews of past and future William Cole wines that we cover on the William Cole KWG winery page on our website. We hope you enjoy these terrific wines as much as we did. Cheers! – Ken