Buehler Vineyards is in the mountains east of St. Helena, near Howell Mountain. It was established in 1978 when John Buehler, a Bechtel Corp. executive, retired and with his wife bought a remote Napa Valley property that had once been a winery. At first Buehler Vineyards sold its grapes to other producers, but in 1978 Buehler’s son John Jr. started making wine. Production increased and in the early 1980s the estate hired Heidi Peterson Barrett as winemaker. Barrett went on to become one of Napa’s most renowned winemakers and today the winemaker is David Cronin. The estate is still family owned and operated. It produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Chardonnay.