In 1997 the Dotzlers began searching for vineyard land in Napa Valley. They had the good luck to meet Ren Harris (Paradigm Winery) and Jean Phillips (Screaming Eagle) who at the time were the premier land brokers of Napa Valley. After a year-long search, they found an undeveloped 20 acre property on Howell Mountain. With the help of Ren and Jean the Dotzlers converted the raw land to Vineyard. The development ended up being a 4-year project, taking almost 3 years to prepare the blocks for planting. The ground was so rocky in places that it needed to be dynamited multiple times. The first vines did not go into the ground until 2002 and an initial small harvest did not take place until 2005. On a side note, the first True Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was released in 2008 more than 10 years after the property was purchased.
