General Winfield Scott Keyes

Winfield Scott Keyes

Winfield Scott Keyes, American mining engineer member of the board of judges, Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, 1976; member Executive Committee, California Miners’ Association and owns vineyards in Napa Company, California.

Background

Keyes was born on November 17, 1839 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, United States.
Son of Major General Erasmus Darwin Keyes, (USA)

Education

Graduated from Yale, 1860. Studied 3 years

Career

General, United States of America. President trustees California. General manager Pan-American Development Company, operating mines in State of Sinaloa, Mexico.

Died 1906.

Achievements

Winfield Scott Keyes has been listed as a noteworthy mining engineer by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

Member of the board of judges, Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, 1976. Member Executive Committee California Miners’ Association owns vineyards in Napa Company, California.
--------------------------------------------------
W.S. Keyes Winery

W.S. Keyes Winery had a rich history that started in the 1880’s on Howell Mountain. It was founded by Winfield Keyes, a renowned geologist whose background helped him choose the best terroir he could find for his vineyards. Winemaking was a part of the family; Winfield’s Civil War general father was the first Commander of the Presidio in San Francisco as well as owner of, at the time the prestigious Edge Hill Winery (one of the first wineries in the Napa Valley).

The prominence of W.S. Keyes Winery reached the International stage when in 1900 they won a gold medal at the Paris Exposition. Following up this accolade, 4 years later they earned another gold medal at the St. Louis Exposition. Needless to say by this point, their vineyards helped solidify Howell Mountains reputation fairly early on. Keyes also used to own the Liparita label which has changed hands several times and is currently in private ownership and is still in production. These high end Howell Mountain vineyards are all connected in some way or the other!

W.S. Keyes is part of the Jackson Family Wine portfolio – owned by Jess Jackson of Kendall Jackson fame. The actual vineyard is located at about 1800 feet and is situated in very chalky dusty volcanic soils which of course contribute to the complexity of this wine. Select blocks are hand harvested from the vineyard and the wine is made by Tom Peffer who also makes Jackson’s Atalon wine. Today W.S. Keyes is somewhat of an anomaly in the Napa Valley as they produce one vintage each year of Merlot. All the grapes for this wine are sourced from the W.S. Keyes vineyards including a small touch of Cabernet Sauvignon which is blended into this wine. This vineyard is located within the same area as Jackson’s high end La Jota vineyard and in fact some of the fruit from this vineyard is used in their Atalon and another label.

As a result of their extremely small production and little marketing only those in the “know” are aware of this Napa gem. It is a rare wine indeed – 2003 was their first vintage and they were essentially sold out of this at press time. Merely 274 – six bottle cases were produced of the 2004 vintage and as of press time the only place you can taste or purchase this wine is through Cardinale Winery in Yountville. This vintage saw 20 days maceration helping extract additional flavors (juice to skin contact) and then 26 months in barrel for aging. It was blended with 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has elegant aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate with hints of cedar leading to a rich concentration of fruit, especially on the mid palate. This is not a light weight Merlot. It is full bodied yet is in balance with a smooth velvety mouth feel and just the right tannin structure on the extended finish.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Geologist Winfield Scott Keyes (1839-1907) was the son of Civil War General, Erasmus Darwin Keyes, and a graduate of the School of Mines in Freiberg, Germany. He appears as the author of four other mining reports each located in only a single copy in OCLC. Three of those are reports for mines in Nevada and Colorado; the fourth (and earliest) is dated a year before the present report, and was also for a mine in Chihuahua. We can locate no record of this report in OCLC or in any bibliography or bookseller catalogue consulted. Apparently unrecorded.

Winfield Scott Keyes

in the San Francisco Area, California, U.S., Funeral Home Records, 1850-1931

San Francisco Area, California, U.S., Funeral Home Records, 1850-1931

Name Winfield Scott Keyes
Gender Male
Age at Death 67
Marital Status Widowed
Birth Date 1839
Birth Place West Point New York
Death Date 28 Dec 1906
Death Place San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Funeral Home W.P. Peterson & Co. Funeral Records
Funeral Place San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Obituary Included NO
Father's Name : Erasmus Keyes
Mother's Name: Caroline Clark
Record Type Record Book
Source Reference p. 1-300, 1906-1911
Number of Images 1