Listen to this articleBelow is our recent interview with Glenn Rice, Ph.D, owner of Quantum Limit Vineyards:
Editor: Glenn, thank you for speaking with us. To begin, what sparked the creation of Quantum Limit Vineyards?
Glenn Rice: We are both Ph.D. biophysicists—my wife Cynthia Hoy and I—but our hearts lie in the earth and vines. When our realtor showed us 69 acres in rural Napa, just east of Wooden Valley and Gordon Valley, at the base of what we call the Howell Cordillera, we saw raw potential. That rough, wild, steep terrain beckoned us. We planted the first vines in 2012, expanded after the 2017 fires, and today we manage 25 planted acres across 28 distinct mountainside blocks with elevation ranging from 260 to 900 feet.
Editor: That’s extraordinary. And you’ve coined the term “Howell Cordillera.” What makes this region so special?
Glenn: The Howell Cordillera—the southern spine of the Howell Mountains—is one of Napa’s best‑kept secrets. Just to be clear, the Howell Mountain AVA in Napa Valley is only one mountain of a long mountain chain, from north of St. Helena to the SF Bay. We are located on a southern end of this mountain chain or ‘cordillera’, and it combines warmer daytime heat for ripeness, and nightly fog from San Pablo Bay and the Carneros region for cooling. That diurnal swing preserves acidity while developing rather opulent Napa fruit. The volcanic Brissa loam over sandstone and shale gives minerality reminiscent of Howell Mountain, yet with its own vibrancy and finesse due to warmer temperatures. Although we are not at liberty to give the name, we sell most of our fruit to one of the most prestigious wineries in Napa Valley, with their cabernet selling at retail upwards of $400/bottle.
Editor: You’ve described your viticultural approach as “excruciating.” What does that mean day to day?
Glenn: Every vine is precision managed. We employ shade cloth on both trellis sides, misters during heat spikes, custom drip irrigation, drone and petiole testing, compost tilled to each vine, cover crops tailored to erosion and soil health—all executed block by block by hand and with high‑tech support. Night harvesting, yield‑limiting, block‑by‑block sorting—it’s relentless work for one goal: extraordinary fruit quality. We also have expert consultants helping advise us on vineyard management, including long-time Beckstoffer manager and current To Kalon Vineyard Manager, Blake Wood. Blake is a star, a real viticulturist prodigy.
Editor: I see from recent press releases, you have some very difficult neighbors?
Glenn: Yes you are probably referencing our recent filing of a ‘spite wall’ lawsuit against Jason Anderson and Lisa Lawley, our neighbors on one side. They planted a row of redwood trees just a few feet from one of our prized vineyard blocks without any justification of wind protection, privacy or erosion or anything like that. We tried to amicably get them to move them, to no avail. If you want to damage someone’s vineyard, this is the tree species to plant. I look at it as a precedent setting case for all Napa grape growers to protect the terroir and heritage of Napa vineyards from malicious acts by difficult neighbors. Neighbors on the other side are vineyards owned by Antinori Estate, the famed Italian wine producers. Now they are good neighbors to have, and it demonstrates the amazing and yet very quiet quality of this area!
Editor: And once fruit arrives at the cellar, you entrust two of Napa’s most esteemed winemakers—Philippe Melka and Julien Fayard—to craft your wines?
Glenn: We take only about 5-8% of the crop for making our own cabernet, usually 500 cases or less. Philippe Melka is legendary for blending elegance into his Napa Cabernets. Julien Fayard, meanwhile, brings Burgundian finesse to our Chardonnay project, Il Maremmano. Philippe walks every block at harvest—the best individual blocks become our Twenty Eight Blocks cuvée, and the aggregate blend is our flagship Quantum Limit label. They are both exceptional collaborators.
Editor: How does that show in the wines?
Glenn: Our Twenty Eight Blocks Cabernet Sauvignon is ours premium — single‑block intensity, deep fruit, complex tannins, violet and chocolate spice, firm grip, but structured for aging. Meanwhile our Quantum Limit blend integrates those micro‑terroirs—always at least 75% Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa—and marries power with elegance: cassis, black cherry, blackberry, licorice atop granite minerality. Il Maremmano Chardonnay, under Julien’s hand, is pale gold and Burgundian in style: honeysuckle, apricot, melon, subtle toast and salinity on a silken mouthfeel. Across the board, it’s rare, precise work.
Editor: You’ve also crafted Entangled in partnership with Château Lynch‑Bages. Tell us about that.
Glenn: Entangled is our flagship Bordeaux‑Napa fusion—70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc—all from elite and historic parcels in Bordeaux. In this case, we blended it both with Nicolas Labenne and with Philippe Melka. Philippe has experience in Bordeaux, but blends Entangled with the perspective of a new world palate. It’s Napa energy grounded by Bordeaux structure, destined to peak between 2026 and 2030 Napa Wine Project.
Editor: What makes the Howell Cordillera a compelling new destination for premium wine discoverers?
Glenn: It’s unspoiled, rural, and agricultural—35 minutes from downtown Napa yet radically different. Our property offers panoramic views: Twin Sisters peaks, Mt. Diablo, and San Pablo Bay. Few visitors know this area; almost all neighboring growers quietly supply reserve fruit to brands like Caymus, Antinori, Favia, Hestan. It’s the edge of Napa, overlooked, rugged, ecologically rich—and we’re changing that via vineyard to bottle.
Editor: Finally, what’s your message to wine lovers?
Glenn: Our hand farmed vineyard blocks are really of a remarkable terroir, with the dirt of Howell Mountain but with more sun, giving the classic minerality with a bit more opulence. Our ambition is to define a new Napa Grand Cru from a hidden gem of Napa, overseen by Melka and Fayard, nurtured by obsessive viticulture expressing this unique and remarkable terroir.
