World-renowned winemaker buys burned-out 500-acre Napa Valley vineyard to rebuild historic estate amid brutal industry crash

A massive Napa Valley vineyard is getting a second chance — just as California’s wine industry faces a brutal reckoning.

A partnership between winemaker Maya Dalla Valle and Coastal Vineyard Care Associates (CVCA) has purchased the 500-acre Cain Vineyard estate on Spring Mountain from the Meadlock family, Wine Spectator reports.

The price was not disclosed.

A summer morning view of the Cain Vineyard with fog filling the Napa Valley. Instagram/@cain_vineyard_and_winery
The 2020 Glass Fire killed most of the vines and burned every building on the property. AFP via Getty Images

The 2020 Glass Fire destroyed nearly everything in its path, killing most of the vines and burning every building on the property. Just 15 acres of vines survived. Another 52 acres have since been replanted.

The new owners plan to keep rebuilding the vineyard — and betting on Napa’s future at a time when the region’s wine business is under growing pressure.

“I’m born and raised here. We saw an opportunity to protect this place,” winemaker Maya Dalla Valle said.
Dalla Valle, co-owner and winemaker at her family’s Dalla Valle Vineyards, will own half of the new partnership. Instagram/@mayadv

Americans are drinking less wine, younger consumers are increasingly choosing alternatives such as spirits and ready-to-drink beverages, and Napa growers are feeling the squeeze from weaker demand, soaring costs and labor headaches.

A 2026 survey found half of Napa vineyards reported declining revenue last year, while 51% reported lower profits.

Dalla Valle, co-owner and winemaker at her family’s Dalla Valle Vineyards, will own half of the new partnership. CVCA, a vineyard management company, will own the other half.

A 2026 survey found half of Napa vineyards reported declining revenue last year, while 51% reported lower profits. Instagram/@mayadv
Winemaker Maya Dalla Valle plans to develop a new wine using select parcels of the property.

“Cain Vineyard is such a historic site and so iconic,” Dalla Valle told Wine Spectator. “When we saw the opportunity to buy it, we saw the chance to protect and restore a key part of Napa Valley. I’m born and raised here. We saw an opportunity to protect this place.”

She plans to develop a new wine using select parcels of the property.

Cain was a sheep ranch when Jerry and Joyce Cain bought the land in 1979 and began planting Cabernet Sauvignon.

Jim and Nancy Meadlock joined them in 1986 and bought out the Cains in 1991.

The vineyard, perched roughly 2,000 feet above sea level between Napa and Sonoma counties, became known for Cabernet Sauvignons that bucked Napa’s bigger-is-better reputation.

Cain’s wines were more restrained, with lower alcohol and higher acidity.

Then came the Glass Fire.

The Glass Fire burns in the hills near a vineyard on Sunday, September 27, 2020, in St. Helena, California. Getty Images

The blaze swept across Spring Mountain in 2020, torching every building and killing most of the vines. Longtime winemaker Chris Howell fled the property when the flames were just a mile away.

The Meadlocks decided not to rebuild.

Third Leaf Partners, a San Francisco private equity firm, bought the Cain brand and inventory in December 2025 — but not the land. Howell continues making Cain wine using fruit purchased from the vineyard.

Workers installing rebar and stakes for new trellises at Cain Vineyard & Winery. Instagram/@cain_vineyard_and_winery
The estate was devastated by the Glass Fire in September 2020, and Hoopes plans to revive the property and rethink its future. Instagram/@mayadv
Dalla Valle is co-owner and winemaker at Dalla Valle Vineyards, founded by her parents.

Now Dalla Valle and CVCA are taking control of the dirt itself.

They plan to continue replanting while maintaining Cain’s existing lease.

“Cain the winery will continue to buy fruit with no stated end date as the brand is connected to the vineyard.”

The project will also be separate from Dalla Valle Vineyards.

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