At any gathering of Napa Valley's wine elite over the past four decades, the woman who invariably inspired the most favorable comparisons to the tradition, grace and glory of sparkling wine was Jamie Davies, who with her husband Jack built Schramsberg Vineyards into California's most highly regarded producer of Champagne-style wines.

After struggling with Parkinson's disease in recent years, Jamie Davies died Tuesday afternoon surrounded by family at her historic Calistoga estate. Writer L. Pierce Carson gives an early tribute to her in today's Napa Valley Register.