HENRY MEL - scmwine/Wineries GitHub Wiki

Henry Mel

Henry Mel was a pioneer mountain vintner who established Villa Fontenay on Vine Hill in the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1879. He and his wife Nellie purchased vineyard land from the Jarvis family and built one of the mountains' notable 19th-century estate wineries.

Villa Fontenay (1879-1895)

Field Details
Founded 1879
Location Vine Hill, Santa Cruz Mountains
Co-Founders Henry Mel and Nellie Mel
Previous Owner Jarvis family (vineyard established 1850s)
Status Foreclosed 1895
Later Revival Dick Smothers reopened 1977

In 1879, Henry and Nellie Mel purchased vineyard land from the Jarvis family, who had established the Vine Hill vineyard in the 1850s (well-documented by 1864).

The Mels named their estate Villa Fontenay and operated it as a wine estate through the 1880s and early 1890s.

Site Lineage

Villa Fontenay represents the middle chapter in 170+ years of viticultural continuity at the Vine Hill site:

  1. 1850s: Jarvis Brothers establish vineyard
  2. 1879: Henry and Nellie Mel purchase land, found Villa Fontenay
  3. 1895: Foreclosure; estate changes hands
  4. 1977: Dick Smothers reopens vineyard/winery
  5. 1978: Ken Burnap founds Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard on the site

The 1895 Foreclosure

Villa Fontenay was foreclosed in 1895, likely a victim of the economic depression and wine market collapse of the 1890s.

The foreclosure illustrates the boom-and-bust cycle of 19th-century mountain viticulture:

  • High initial investment in land and vineyard development
  • Remote location increasing transport costs
  • Vulnerability to economic downturns
  • Difficulty competing with valley wineries

Legacy

Despite the foreclosure, the Mels' Villa Fontenay:

  • Maintained viticultural continuity at the Jarvis site through the 1880s-1890s
  • Demonstrated mountain wine quality during the consolidation era
  • Preserved the vineyard for future revival
  • Established the Villa Fontenay name as part of Santa Cruz Mountains heritage (revived by Smothers in 1977)

The site's continuous viticulture from the 1850s to the present demonstrates the Mels' role in the long chain of mountain vintners.

Historical Significance

Henry Mel represents:

  • Second-generation mountain vintners building on pioneer foundations
  • The 1880s boom in Santa Cruz Mountains viticulture
  • The challenges of mountain winemaking in the pre-automobile era
  • Site continuity preserving viticultural potential through ownership changes

Related Entries

Sources

  • Santa Cruz County History: Mel, Henry
  • Late Harvest (1983)
  • Santa Cruz Mountains wine history research

See Also