Heading north out of St. Helena, the town’s namesake mountain looms at the top of Napa Valley.

Vineyards line each side of Highway 29, the picturesque, two-lane road that winds its way up to Calistoga and Mount Saint Helena, while wineries of different eras and architectural styles dot the landscape. It’s a stretch of Napa Valley that embodies California wine country.

Just a few miles out of town, past a slight incline of 29 that levels off at Tychson Hill Road, sits one of the valley’s most historic properties, Freemark Abbey. The 19th century stone building practically hugs the road, a graceful and solid presence for over 130 years. Among St. Helena wineries, Freemark Abbey is as familiar to visitors as any.

Starting with the post-WWII construction of one of Napa Valley’s first “sampling rooms,” Freemark became a destination for Napa Valley visitors seeking the thrill of a jaunt up the (then) dirt road to St. Helena and the reportedly delicious wines that awaited. Two decades later, in 1967, the partners’ acquisition coincided with a growing recognition that Cabernet Sauvignon represented the greatest potential for high-quality Napa Valley wine.

The following decade saw an international spotlight fall directly on the winery’s Cabernet and Chardonnay after the famous Judgment of Paris in 1976. These and other dates in Freemark Abbey’s history have always made it one of the must-visit wineries in St. Helena.