Backstage Wines

Backstage Wines. Founder of Backstage Wines, Angelo Perra grew up in Marin County; his family did not come from a wine background and his early career was working with private equity. His first introduction to premium wine was at age 23 in 1993. After graduating from business school his mother announced she would take him and his two siblings out to a fine restaurant in San Francisco to celebrate. Angelo remembers sitting at the head of the table and hearing his mother announce that she was going to order a bottle of really fine wine.

He recalls one of the waiters came to their table and removed all the wine glasses; at the time he was confused as to why they were removing the wine glasses when his mother had just ordered wine. The waiters soon returned to the table with their premium stemware. One waiter walked up to the table cradling a ‘special bottle’. It was an Opus One most likely from a late 1980s bottling. Angelo really enjoyed this wine; he credits that moment with being the initial inspiration for wanting to learn about wines and winemaking. He began making his first home wine later that same year.

In 2010 Angelo purchased an existing wine brand, Mountain View Winery which was established in 1978 and had operations in Morgan Hill. Two years later he began Backstage Wines. At the time, he reached out to several contacts from his early days of working with private equity, to secure funding when beginning Backstage wines. The first vintage of Backstage was an Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. At one point he realized he would need additional funding. He invited his investors to dinner at the Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley and brought a bottle of the inaugural 2012 Backstage wine to share with them. They had not yet tried this wine; Angelo wanted to impress them with the wine before asking for additional funding.

The table also ordered one bottle of one of Shafer Vineyard’s premium red wines. Towards the end of the meal Angelo noticed the bottle of Backstage was empty while the bottle of Shafer still contained some wine. Emboldened by this observation he offered the question, “tell me what you think of my wine”. The unanimous answer was they really enjoyed it. And ultimately, they invested a second round of funding.

The winery for Backstage was located south of Napa in an industrial park (in 2023, production moved to the old Andretti Winery off of Big Ranch Road, just north of the city of Napa). They own their own bottling line; bottling is conducted almost daily year-round based on client orders and is always small lots at a time (usually 100 to 400 cases). Limiting oxygen to the wines is an integral part of Angelo’s winemaking and especially so before bottling always ensuring that fill tanks are completely full.

While not owning any vineyards, Backstage works closely with small family-owned vineyards; a typical size vineyard they often work with ranges between one and six acres. As of our latest update to this profile, Backstage sources grapes from 15 different vineyards. Rather than sharing these vineyards with other wineries, Backstage has access to all the grapes from each site. And when Angelo first discovers these sites, they are often unnamed and with the owner’s permission creates names relating to Backstage (i.e., Greenroom, Showtime, Encore etc.).

Backstage is very much a family operation with Angelo’s children also involved including in the tasting room and winemaking operations. His daughter Olivia told us she began helping her father in the winery at age 12; today she is assistant winemaker, helping her father and also is their Sales Director.

Select Wines
Whites
Chardonnay
The 2024 Backstage Chardonnay, Showtime Vineyard Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley was fermented and aged in 50% second-used French barrels and 50% in stainless steel. The wine in barrel went through full malolactic fermentation. It is medium gold in color; the bouquet smells like the variety, but it is not a ‘heavy’ expression of Chardonnay, either in terms of aromatics or on the palate. This wine smells like butterscotch, popcorn butter – but is not overtly buttery, vanilla, golden delicious apples, stone fruit blossoms, vanilla and a hint of chamomile. On the palate, this wine shows plenty of California sunshine, complemented by a medium+ acidity. Its flavors are of baked apples, pineapple slices, ripe apricot, ripe papaya, Alphonso mango, ripe honeydew melon, vanilla wafer and a finishing note of light toast and toasted almonds. If you find yourself tasting a vintage of this wine at Backstage Winery, your wine educator might just tell you they commonly refer to this wine as, ‘Chardonn-ay” due to its overall crowd friendly appeal.

The 2021 Backstage Chardonnay Russian River Valley was put through 50% malolactic fermentation and aged in light toasted French oak barrels (quercus petraea). This wine is medium golden in color; the bouquet offers aromas of honeysuckle, a light toast nuance and butter. The palate shows flavors of apple, some mineralities, a lemon zest and brightness of acidity on the finish. Its texture is creamy and soft across the palate; this wine lingers with a hint of warm butter and drinks very well by itself. When making the Backstage Chardonnay, Angelo tried to create a wine balanced between the style of Chardonnay he enjoys drinking (Chablis) and a riper California oak and butter styled bottling. He has found that his customers prefer the richer California styled Chardonnays.

Rosé
The 2025 Backstage Rosé of Pinot Noir, Spotlight Vineyard Los Carneros Napa Valley was on the skins for about 4 hours before it was pressed. This wine is pale salmon/pink in color. One of our pet peeves with rosé is color, especially since they are typically in flint glass – and this wine nailed an attractive color. And Pinot Noir is one of our two favorite varieties for making rose from, the other being Grenache. Editor comments aside, this wine smells delicate with light scents of rose petals, raspberries, watermelon rind, Rainier cherry and pomegranate. Bright, minerally and balanced, this wine tastes like white fleshed nectarine, white strawberry, pomegranate, Rainier cherry and raspberry. Highly versatile in terms of culinary pairings, we wouldn’t mind enjoying this with an assortment of fresh sashimi or Vietnamese spring rolls. Its a big chilly in the shade of the redwoods outdoors at Backstage Winery as we are enjoying this; we wish it was April with the promise of renewal and a warm afternoon.

Reds
Pinot Noir
Marquee Vineyard
The Marquee Vineyard has been owned by Angelo’s family since his grandfather purchased this in 1942. It was planted by Angelo to both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The 2024 Backstage Pinot Noir (clone 667), Marquee Vineyard Russian River Valley was entirely destemmed. On the nose one doesn’t necessarily note the whole cluster fermentation as its focus is on layered fruits. This wine smells like raspberry, strawberry, pomegranate and a light note of cranberry. Baking spices are also present, but sit far in the backseat, offering scents of cardamom and cinnamon stick. Sweetly fruited across the palate, but this is tempered nicely by a balanced acidity. This wine is well layered, and like the bouquet, focused on the purity of fruit. It tastes like cranberry, pomegranate, Rainier cherry, boysenberry and raspberry. The tannins are well tumbled, persisting with a light gravelly texture, felt primarily on the front of the palate. This is a good choice for those who fully enjoy a California expression of Pinot Noir but expresses plenty of life.

The 2023 Backstage Pinot Noir (clone 667), Marquee Vineyard Russian River Valley is pale ruby in color; higher toned and red fruited aromatics immediately jump out of the glass upon opening. These scents include cranberry, pomegranate, raspberry, red strawberry, cherry cola, Santa Rosa plum and currants. And some floral tones including dried rose petals and violets. Several light tones of spice are also at play here including of cardamom and clove. But its aromatic focus is clearly on the purity of the fruit. On the palate there are flavors of dried meats, white sage, smoked cedar, pink peppercorn, tobacco and layers of red fruits including currant, cranberry, boysenberry and cherry. The palate is both fruity, savory and spicy, all harmoniously wrapped around each other. The finish is brightly lit with supple and seamlessly integrated tannins. Not all Pinot Noirs are BBQ friendly; this is definitely one of them – try salmon, pork or chicken. This bottling was aged for 6 months in oak barrels prior to release; its listed ABV is 13.9%.

The 2019 Backstage Marquee Vineyard Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is pale to medium ruby in color. Simply stated, this bouquet smells beautiful. It is elegant with both floral and fruit aromatics including of dried rose petal and violets along with raspberry, cranberry, rhubarb and a hint of white pepper. It is soft, supple and very well balanced across the entire palate. Offers hints of white pepper, red plum and a light touch of darker spices on the finish. The lightly textured tannins linger softly. Angelo originally began making Pinot Noir from the Chalone wine region in central California. He noticed this growing region tended to be a bit warmer than closer to some of California’s other coastal growing regions and the wines he was producing tended to be more earthy in style. He prefers a ‘cleaner’ more fruit driven style of Pinot Noir so in 2019 he switched his vineyard source to the Russian River Valley.

Spotlight Vineyard
The 2024 Backstage Spotlight Vineyard Pinot Noir, Los Carneros was sourced from same block as for their rosé. This wine is medium ruby in color; the bouquet smells like a contemporary expression of the variety, focused primarily on its fruit and sans of any Pinot ‘sweat’ or spicy characteristics. The bouquet is delicate, showing scents of raspberry, strawberry, currant, cranberry and hints of an orange peel zest and tea. Brightly lit, this wine is filled with plenty of movement from the lively acidity; its flavors include cranberry, dark raspberry, strawberry, not fully ripe boysenberry, red cherry, tart plums and Persian mulberry. The tannins are present, felt with a light gravelly character. The palate is ripe but also bright with both sweetness and acidity tugging against one another. While showing nice at 2 years post vintage, we suspect this will also age well and we would like to try it again in another 7-10 years. 13.9% ABV.

Merlot
The 2023 Backstage Merlot, Showtime Vineyard Oak Knoll District Napa Valley is medium to deep ruby in color; immediately engaging upon opening, the aromatics are fruity, playful and generous. They smell like red cherry, boysenberry, red plum, dark raspberry and Persian mulberry with a savory and darker thread including dried sage, white pepper, old cedar box and pipe tobacco. The bouquet smells bright and energetic. Plush across the palate, this wine tastes like red cherry, boysenberry, raspberry, currant, cranberry and red plums. It is loaded with movement due to its vivacious acidity. On the finish, the tannins persist with a tumbled and light gravelly character; their texture is soft and supple. This is very much a food friendly bottling of this variety; in terms of a possible pairing, think the locally loved and tasty cheeseburger served at Charter Oak Restaurant in St. Helena.

Zinfandel
The 2023 Backstage Zinfandel, Showtime Vineyard Oak Knoll District Napa Valley is deep ruby with lighter amaranthine hues; the nose smells fully ripe, an expression of fruit and sweet barrel influences but never comes close to being a jammy expression of the variety. Its ABV is 13.9%. The bouquet offers aromas of violets, lavender, Santa Rosa plums, blueberry, dark cherry and boysenberry. And layers of baking spices including cinnamon stick, cloves, vanilla and chocolate. Fully ripe but also sitting squarely on the back of a lively thread of acidity, this wine tastes more red fruited than dark including cherry, raspberry, boysenberry, Santa Rosa plums, currant and cranberry. Finishes fresh and mouth watering, not always adjectives we use to describe California Zinfandel. The tannins are present but never heavy, persisting with a gravelly and lightly drying character in tandem with the lively red fruit filled finish. This is very much a food friendly expression of the variety.

Petite Sirah
Sometimes Backstage wines will craft a very limited production wine that is only served and sold from their tasting room.

The 2019 Backstage Napa Valley Petite Sirah was blended with a small amount of Syrah. This is not a robust bottling like some of the Petite Sirahs we have sampled over the years; it is very well balanced and food friendly, offering freshness alongside its darker fruit character. Angelo enjoys working with Petite Sirah for the freshness and acidity it can bring to a wine lacking such characteristics. This wine offers aromas of dark plum, old cedar box and dried herbs, with the savory notes adding complexity to the bouquet. The palate carries its dark fruit into a lingering finish, supported by gravelly-textured tannins that persist for some time. Their noticeable grip provides structure, while the medium-plus acidity keeps the wine lively and complements its concentration of fruit.

Cabernet Sauvignon
Showtime Vineyard
The 2022 Backstage Showtime Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Knoll District Napa Valley is deep ruby and opaque; one can smell the variety and its inherent character; this is not a contemporary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon where ripeness and oak influence are dominating factors. Rather, its aromatics are more restrained, offering scents of violets, lavender, dried sage, dried tobacco leaf, Satsuma plum, boysenberry and blueberry. Sweeter baking spice layers start to show as this wine continues to evolve in the glass including mocha and cocoa powder. Lifted across the palate but a bright acidity, yet showing plenty of fruit, this wine tastes like boysenberry, red plums, blueberry, blackberry, dark raspberry black currant and a dusting of crushed black peppercorn and smoked sage on the finish. The fruit does most of the talking here. The gravelly, grainy and dusty textured tannins are evenly distributed, persisting with both fruit and acidity in tandem on the ripe but bright finish. This wine was aged for 22 months in French oak barrels.

The 2021 Backstage Showtime Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Knoll District Napa Valley is deep ruby in color; on the nose, there are aromatics of sweaty leather, red chili spice, tobacco and shishito pepper. Its fruit includes currant, red cherry, and red plum. This wine is distinctive and with character; we like that. On the palate there are flavors of red cherry, dark raspberry, boysenberry, and Santa Rosa plum. And a light note of caramel deep in the aromatics. And some of the spices present on the bouquet are also noticeable on the palate including tobacco and dried herbs including sage, accompanied by a note of pink peppercorn. Savory. The tannins are tumbled perfectly up this age and persists a fully coating gravelly and light dusty character. Brightly lit. Energetic acidity. This wine was aged for 22 months in French oak barrels before being transferred to a concrete tank for another year of aging followed by bottling aging prior to its release.

Oakville
The 2015 Backstage Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is dark ruby in color; the bouquet shows a pleasant union of both fruit and barrel influence with darker baking spices including clove. It also offers hints of leather, dark plum, truffle oil and dark chocolate. As the wine evolves in the glass, it reveals additional aromas of mocha. This wine is very balanced from start to finish; it shows flavors of red cherry, plum and blackberry. The tannins are dusty, earthy and offers a texture which is somewhat gravelly. A mouthwatering brightness persists on the finish.

Howell Mountain
The 2022 Backstage Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Green Room Vineyard is deep ruby and nearly opaque. This wine smells bright and lifted but also ripe, however, never coming close to crossing into the territory of being over ripe or overtly jammy. The bouquet offers scents of cherry pie, blackberry jam, ripe Santa Rosa plum, boysenberry, Pakistani mulberry and an accompanying layer of bakers’ chocolate and mocha. Intensely flavored, this wine tastes like dark plum, blackberry at the peak of ripeness, boysenberry, red cherry, dark mulberry and red licorice. The palate is laser like focused with a vibrant vein of acidity, that would perhaps throw us off guessing the correct vintage in a blind tasting. For reference, 2022 in Napa Valley was a very hot year, culminating in an extended period of extreme heat around Labor Day weekend. The tannins are plush and rounded, letting the fruit and the acidity doing most of the conversing here. We tasted this 4 years post vintage; it has lots of life ahead of it with the proper aging.

The 2015 Backstage Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon (sourced from Green Room Vineyard at an elevation of 1,500 feet above sea level) is dark ruby in color; the bouquet offers plenty of secondary aromas including milk chocolate, cocoa powder, holiday baking spices, graham cracker and a sweet note of licorice. These are complemented by darker fruit aromatics, including ripe plum. The palate reveals flavors of baked blackberry, chocolate and dark plum. The fruit is rich and generously layered, complemented by a pleasing balance of acidity and texture. The tannins still show a light amount of tightness, sport a silty texture and linger with a gentle grip. The finish is mouthwatering, with the darker fruit flavors continuing to persist alongside notes of chocolate and spice. This wine is showing exceptionally well seven years post vintage at the time of our tasting.
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Angelo has been making wines for more than 30 years. For about 25 years his focus was on showcasing single varietal wines from single vineyard sites. One day he realized that perhaps he could further fine tune his wines by blending. He is quick to admit that even after three decades of making wine he continues to learn. While most of his wines are still focused on single vineyard single varietal sites, he also produces wines that are blended.

There is a specific reason why Angelo uses metal for both the front and back labels of the Backstage Cabernet Sauvignon wines. With three children in grade school some years back, one day he received a phone call from someone in administration at his children’s school. The conversation began something like, “I heard you are a winemaker, would you be interested in donating some of your wine to our annual school auction fundraiser”. Angelo said he would donate a bottle of wine but didn’t say which bottle it would be.

He started looking through some of his older First Growth Bordeaux wines that he used to purchase by the case for approximately only $40 per bottle. He located a 1994 Château Lafite Rothschild and decided that would be a good donation for the auction. Curious to how much it cost after he committed the bottle to the auction, he was shocked to discover that a single bottle from this producer and vintage was around $1000.

Later that year he needed to complete an expensive roof repair project on his home and followed up with one of the classified ads he spotted in the back of Wine Spectator Magazine offering to purchase rare bottles of wine. He found a broker in Oakland and after bringing some of his First Growths to be appraised he left with a sizable check. Later he returned with more bottles but was extremely disappointed to discover that the buyer completely rejected several of his bottles because they had small tears in the label. After this experience he decided to bottle only his most premium wines from select single vineyard sites in Napa Valley with all metal tear-proof labels.

Tasting Room, Napa
On December 9, 2022, Backstage moved into what was the original Andretti Winery’s tasting space on Big Ranch Road (about a 10 to 15-minute drive from downtown Napa). The 53-acre parcel extending east to the Napa River, including the hospitality space, winery and vineyards is owned by Laird family of Laird Family Winery. Backstage produces their wines at Laird Winery but ages the wines in barrel and bottles and labels on site. Nearby wineries include Robert Biale, Monticello and Materra.

The existing Tuscan themed architecture matches the Perra’s own Italian heritage well. Tastings are conducted inside at one of several small tables or at the L-shaped bar. Reservations are highly recommended but if it’s not busy, they can accommodate small number walk-in parties. At the time of our latest visit, two tasting options are offered including the Estate Tasting (showcasing a variety of their wines) and weather permitting, the ATV Vineyard Education Tour & Tasting Experience with an ATV ride through the surrounding Showtime Vineyard (by appointment) at select times daily. A charcuterie plate (serving two) can be added to a tasting at the time of a visit.

A small parking lot is on site (next to their driveway) and from here it is a short walk to the tasting room entrance inside a small courtyard. Tastings are hosted indoors or if weather permits, outdoors on one of the picnic tables overlooking the nearby vineyard. Casual country music might be playing during the time of your visit, matching the casual and relaxed vibe here.

A number of tour companies have discovered Backstage Winery for their guests, and often larger groups are hosted here.

Live music is hosted at the winery during select dates throughout the summer.

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Their total production each year is around 24,000 cases divided between wines bottled under Backstage, Mountain View and several other labels. The Backstage wines account for about 6,000 cases annually. The majority of their wines are sold to private membership-based wine clubs. For more information, to purchase wines, or to schedule a tasting at their Napa Valley location, visit: www.backstagewines.com

ARCHIVED NOTES
Tasting room, Larkspur
For six years, Angelo operated a tasting room in San Rafael focusing on Mountain View wines. He moved locations in 2017 and opened a cute tasting room in Larkspur with both indoor and outdoor seating. This was a new space when Backstage Wines moved in, and they customized the interior to fit their operations including housing a commercial kitchen and adding an Argon system so that no wine is wasted once a bottle is opened.

NOTE: this tasting room permanently closed in early 2026; we keep our notes and photography here for historical reference.

The majority of the customers were Marin County locals. A visit made an ideal pre dinner stop to enjoy the diversity of wines, small plates, salads, artisan flatbreads, meat and cheese boards and a dessert of the day, although with a fine selection of foods, one could come here for a full meal. The wines represented were primarily focused on the Backstage bottlings (typically older releases), but the tasting room was also stocked with a small selection of international wines.