The drive in tells you everything before you've even arrived. A private road climbs through native oak and fir, past a small stone winery, before the forest opens to 5+ acres set high on Howell Mountain.
Behind the gates of historic Rancho La Jota, the original 1960s residence was reimagined by Holder Parlette Architecture and built by Precision Builders to take full advantage of its remarkable setting. Much of the home's original footprint was preserved, while the roof was raised significantly to create soaring cedar ceilings that extend from the covered entry into the interiors.
On the valley side, a custom steel window and door system allows expanses of glass to meet at the corners, opening the architecture to both the surrounding forest and far reaching Napa Valley views. Local St. Helena cottage stone moves from the entry façade through the landscaping and interiors, further connecting the home to its mountain setting. The completed residence was featured in California Homes.
The beauty is matched by thoughtful construction. Hydronic radiant heat runs through the concrete slab, while fiber cement siding provides the warmth and texture of wood with added fire resistance. Throughout, materials were chosen not only for how they look, but for how the home lives in its mountain environment.
More than a single residence, Las Posadas unfolds as a private mountain retreat, with distinct spaces for family, guests and wellness thoughtfully placed throughout the forest. And behind the gates, remarkably little interrupts the quiet. No road noise. No neighboring homes in view. Just redwoods and fir, filtered light through the trees, and the Napa Valley falling away below.
5.47AcresHowell Mountain
3Dwellingsacross the compound
6Bedroomstotal
8Bathstotal
6,933Square Feetacross the compound
The Compound
Three Residences. Endless Ways to Retreat.
Three distinct residences are joined by a private wellness loft and flexible bonus space, each tucked into its own quiet corner of 5.47 wooded acres. The result is a rare sense of space and versatility, with room for family and guests, work and creativity, gathering and solitude, all within a private mountain setting above St. Helena.
Select any dwelling above to explore its full gallery. Below, the grounds — the heart of the property, and where any visit begins.
The Grounds · Where It Begins
The View, All to Yourself
Set high on Howell Mountain, above the fog line, the grounds open to a mirror-edge infinity pool, a covered stone outdoor kitchen, bocce, and terraced gardens that fall away toward the valley. Not another rooftop in sight — only forest, sky, and the long view down the valley, reflecting off the water at sunset. This is the heart of the property, and where any visit begins.
Designed for life outdoors, the grounds move effortlessly from the infinity pool and covered kitchen to bocce, terraced gardens and quiet pathways, all thoughtfully integrated into the surrounding landscape.
The gates open onto one of Napa Valley's oldest names. In 1843, Mexican Governor Micheltorena granted this land — some 4,454 acres across Howell Mountain — to George C. Yount, the first American to settle the valley and the namesake of Yountville. La Jota traces to Jorge, the Spanish form of George; by 1847 Yount had raised a sawmill here, milling the timber that built the valley below.
The original diseño of Rancho La Jota — the 1843 survey of the grant, drawn by Jasper O'Farrell. Courtesy The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley.
1898
The Stone Winery
In the 1880s the heart of the grant passed to Frederick Hess, a San Francisco publisher who set out vines on the plateau and, in 1898, raised a small stone winery whose wine took a bronze medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition. That cellar still stands just inside the gates as La Jota Vineyard Co. — the working winery you pass on the drive in.
1954
The Enclave Revealed
In 1954, Hess's grandson William T. Hess unveiled the plateau as a gated enclave — with landscape counsel from Thomas Church, the dean of California landscape architecture. Five-acre minimums, an architectural committee, and a controlled gate were written in from the start. Privacy, Hess declared, was the plan's most important asset — the reason it still feels a world away.
“The Enchanted Forest” — as the 1954 brochure named the property's stand of fir and pine.
The Front Page · 1954
Pictured on the Front Page
The house the St. Helena Star chose to feature was this one — then the Allsopp residence, a redwood contemporary offered at $69,500. Seventy years on, the enclave has matured exactly as drawn, and 1215 Las Posadas remains its quiet centerpiece.
The St. Helena Star, August 19, 1954 — the home at center is 1215 Las Posadas, then the residence of Col. and Mrs. C. B. Allsopp.
The house's original 1954 listing, the “327 Scenic Acres” brochure, and its hand-drawn location map.
Historical background drawn from public land-grant records, the St. Helena Star (August 19, 1954), original Previews Inc. brochures, and La Jota Vineyard Co.
Peace of Mind
Built for the Mountain
Living well on Howell Mountain means building for it. The compound was designed with resilience in mind — quietly, without compromising the setting.
Fire-Suppression System
A dedicated exterior fire-suppression system protects the structures and grounds.
Hardened Materials
Cement-board siding and standing-seam metal roofs — chosen for durability and resistance.
Fire Station at the Gate
The newly built Las Posadas CAL FIRE station — Napa County Station 30 — sits just outside the community's entrance.
The property-wide exterior fire-suppression system — copper supply lines and spray heads integrated discreetly beneath the eaves.Cement-board board-and-batten siding — the warmth of wood, chosen for durability and fire resistance.Standing-seam metal roofs across every dwelling — non-combustible, with integrated skylights.Board-formed concrete, stone, and gravel courtyards — a hardened, low-fuel landscape at every threshold.
Location & Access
Rancho La Jota, Howell Mountain
Angwin, California — roughly 15 minutes to St. Helena, 30 minutes to downtown Napa, and a world away from both.
For those who fly privately, Angwin's own Parrett Field sits on the mountain for light aircraft, with full-service jet facilities at Napa County Airport roughly forty minutes down-valley.
Three international gateways are within easy reach as well — Sacramento, Oakland, and San Francisco — plus commercial service from Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa.
The architect and builder behind the transformation reflect on what changed, what remained, and the details that ultimately shaped the home.
Chris Parlette
Principal Architect · Holder Parlette Architecture
Founded by Kenneth Holder and Chris Parlette, Holder Parlette Architecture is a Marin County based firm known for high end residential work throughout Napa Valley and Sonoma. For Parlette, the transformation of Las Posadas began with restraint: understanding what was already working, then identifying the changes that would fundamentally alter how the house experienced its setting.
The original 1960s residence was largely retained within its existing footprint, but the roof was raised significantly, creating dramatically higher volumes beneath soaring cedar ceilings. On the valley side, a new steel window and door system allowed expanses of glass to meet at the corners, opening the interiors to both the immediate forest and far reaching Napa Valley views.
“The corner glass really transforms the whole indoor/outdoor experience. It feels much larger than it is.”Chris Parlette, on the home's steel corner windows
Parlette points to quieter details as equally important: local St. Helena cottage stone carried from the entry façade into the landscaping and interiors; the cedar ceiling extending from the covered entry into the home; and carefully framed views that reveal themselves as you move through the spaces. Together, the interventions transformed the house without overwhelming its setting, leaving it, in his words, “nestled into its home in the forest.”
Sean McFarland
Precision Builders
“Meticulous.”Sean McFarland, on how the home was built
It is the word Sean McFarland returns to when describing the construction. Translating the architectural vision into reality required an unusual degree of precision, particularly where structural steel and the custom steel window system come together to create the home's nearly transparent corners.
That same attention carries into the details you feel rather than immediately see. Hydronic radiant heat runs through the concrete slab. Solid plank oak doors lend weight and permanence throughout the interiors. Level 5 wall finishes create an exceptionally smooth surface, a demanding finish that reveals rather than conceals imperfections and requires exacting execution.
Material choices were made with the mountain setting in mind. Local stone grounds the architecture in its site, while the standing seam metal roof and fiber cement siding were selected for both durability and fire resistance, with the siding detailed to retain the warmth and character of wood. A dedicated exterior fire suppression system adds another layer of protection.
For McFarland, the result is less about any single feature than the cumulative effect of hundreds of carefully resolved decisions: structure, materials, tolerances and finishes all executed with the same level of care.
The Property Package
Take Las Posadas With You
Request the complete package and Shauna will send it directly to your inbox.
Private Offering
Offered at $12,500,000
Shown by appointment. For private showings, full disclosures, or additional photography of the compound, reach out directly.
