United States · California

Elyse

Elyse Winery is a small Napa Valley producer founded in 1987 by Ray Coursen and Nancy Coursen, focusing on single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel from historic Napa Valley sites. The estate's flagship, Tietjen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, is sourced from a dry-farmed Rutherford site farmed with old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon, averaging $92 at auction and reaching $256 for top lots. Tietjen Vineyard has a history predating Elyse's involvement — it is one of the Rutherford Bench's older established sites — and the low-intervention farming produces wines with classic Rutherford 'dust' character. Elyse's total portfolio of 106 lots at $92 average suggests a loyal niche collector base. The winery is notable for maintaining production under 5,000 cases annually and for sourcing from dry-farmed, mostly pre-1980 Napa plantings. Beyond Tietjen, the estate has produced Morisoli Vineyard Cabernet and multiple Zinfandel bottlings from Howell Mountain. The Rutherford address for Tietjen grounds the wine in one of Napa's most historically significant vineyard sectors, where the combination of well-drained alluvial fan soils and the cool afternoon Rutherford Cross Ventilation creates conditions for structured, age-worthy Cabernet. Auction buyers primarily seek Tietjen; other Elyse bottlings appear occasionally.