Ren and Marilyn Harris founded Paradigm, a sustainably farmed vineyard and winery in the Oakville District of California’s Napa Valley, in 1976. Paradigm has extraordinarily deep roots in the region; Marilyn is a third generation Napa Valley grower and Ren has been farming the area since the 1960s. Together, Red and Marilyn have completely replanted the vineyard twice. The first time was to change the grape varieties and the second was to protect the vineyard from phylloxera, which hit the Napa Valley in the late 1980s. Paradigm’s first vintage was in 1991, and since then, every bottle of Paradigm wine is grown, crushed, fermented, barrel aged, bottled and stored on sight.
The vineyard’s soil and microclimate are perfectly tuned for growing Bordeaux rouge varietals and is now planted with 7 blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon (37 acres), 3 blocks of Merlot (12 acres), Cabernet Franc (4 acres), Zinfandel (1 acre) and Petite Verdot (1 acre). Paradigm maintains a 6,000-case annual production and places great importance on the long-time relationships forged with the Paradigm crew and connoisseurs.
Winemaker Heidi Peterson Barret has been with Paradigm since 1991. She is a Napa Valley Native and graduate of U.C. Davis. Heidi knows that her work at Paradigm is with a historically supremely farmed vineyard site, allowing the fruit to express its quality and terroir with little intervention.
Paradigm’s style is as well established as the vineyard; wines are consistent and age worthy, full of red and black fruit in their youth, known for their balance and ability to masterfully compliment a meal.
