STUART & CHARLES SMITH HONORED WITH CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION
PRESENTED BY REP. MIKE THOMPSON
St. Helena, Napa Valley, September 23, 2022 — Congressman Mike Thompson presented a Congressional Resolution to Stuart Smith and Charles Smith of Smith-Madrone Winery on September 23 at the winery on Spring Mountain Road in St. Helena. The Resolution was read on the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington D.C. on June 16, 2022. Mike Thompson represents California’s 5th Congressional District which includes all of Napa and parts of Contra Costa, Lake, Solano and Sonoma Counties.
In presenting the framed document to the Smith brothers, Congressman Thompson said: “….First let me say I’ve lived five miles from here just about my entire life. I was born right over this ridge….I can’t remember the last time I went to Santa Rosa or to Sonoma County any other way than Spring Mountain Road but I’ve never been on this property so it is a treat for me to be here…I’ve known Stu for a long long time….I just can’t get over how beautiful this property is…What incredible stewards of the land Stu and Charlie have been and are. It’s a real tribute to be able to say this is what we’ve done, this is how we’re taking care of it and it’s going to be around for a long time…Thanks for 50 years of good work. I look forward to being back up here over the course of the next 50 years.”
The Resolution text reads:
Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Stuart Smith and Charles Smith, founders of the Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery in celebration of the winery’s 50th anniversary.
The Smith-Madrone Winery was founded on May 14, 1971. Its vineyards are located on top of Spring Mountain in Napa Valley at 1,200 to 1,300 feet in elevation. The winery only produces wine from these 50-year-old local vineyards that are enriched by the county’s deep red Aiken loam soil.
Smith-Madrone Winery played an integral role in the international popularization of Napa Valley wines. The winery first prompted international recognition when its 1977 Riesling was named the world’s Best Riesling by wine experts in the first international Wine Olympics in Paris in 1979. Additionally, Smith-Madrone received The Daily Meal’s Winery of the Year award in 2014. In 2020, the winery was chosen by the University of California, Berkeley to conduct a virtual wine tasting to attendees of the University’s homecoming events.
Stuart and Charles have positively impacted the wine community through their involvement in the Napa Valley wine community. Stuart was appointed to the 2008 General Plan Steering Committee and the 1998 Napa River Watershed Task Force by the Napa County Board of Supervisors. Starting in 2006, Charles has published weekly harvest report for the St. Helena Star, until Stuart took over writing the report column in 2012. Stuart also served as chairman of the 1986 and co-chairman of the 2005 Napa Valley Wine Auction.
Madam Speaker, it is evident that Stuart Smith and Charles Smith, through the Smith-Madrone Winery and their community involvement, have made important contributions to the Napa Valley wine community. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor them here today.
Smith-Madrone News 