Kasten Wines. Proprietors of Kasten Wines, John and Cyndi Kasten are from Thousand Oaks in Southern California. John has an art degree and also a degree in architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and has operated Kasten Design, a local architectural firm since 1992. Karen worked in human resources for many years. She traces their introduction to wine back … [Read more...]

Benevolent Neglect was founded in 2013 by Benjamin Brenner and Matt Nagy. Both are from Boston and came to Napa Valley in the early 2010s. Matt first came to Napa Valley to take a position at Girard Winery; he thought he was going to be working in their tasting room but instead he began working in the cellar. And it turns out he enjoyed that type of work - … [Read more...]

Sequum Wines was founded by viticulturist and soils expert, Dr. Paul Skinner with his first vintage in 2002. Paul's background is diverse and includes both domestic and international soils analysis and vineyard management. His first wine related job in Napa Valley was working for Martini Winery, focusing on some of their vineyards in Lake County to the north … [Read more...]

Jacob Franklin Wines. The roots of Jacob Franklin date back to a bottling called Jake's Cuvee, produced by Elyse Winery. In 1998 eight-year-old Jake Coursen decided he liked having his name on the label (Elyse Winery was named after his sister Elyse) and asked his father winemaker Ray Coursen if he could have his own wine brand. Ray agreed and produced the … [Read more...]

Stony Hill Vineyard was one of the first Napa Valley wineries built after Prohibition. They were an anomaly in Napa Valley from their first vintage in 1952 through 2009 because they only produced white wine. In the early 2000s they began to make a red table wine for themselves, friends and family; starting in 2009 they began producing a Cabernet Sauvignon … [Read more...]

Flying Lady Winery was founded by Colorado based father and son David and Zachary Nassar (Lebanese heritage). David is the founder of Erie, Colorado based Nassar Development, known for their custom homes, resort properties, private ranches, and commercial spaces in communities along the 25-freeway including Fort Collins, Denver and and Colorado Springs. … [Read more...]

Evidence Wines. We have heard a number of stories behind the names of wine brands in Napa Valley, but this is one of the more unique narratives. One day early in his winemaking career, while working in the cellar at Cardinale Winery, founder and winemaker Jason Court noticed twenty cases of wine stacked on a palate was being stored; it had been recovered … [Read more...]

Patria Wines. Founder and winemaker for Patria Wines, Tony Biagi was introduced to wines from his father and stepfather; both men collected wines including from Ridge Winery whose bottlings formed a large part of his stepfather's wine collection. Tony could never envision himself as working a desk job; his parents always encouraged him to find something he … [Read more...]

Palisades Vineyard is located in the northern reaches of Napa Valley in the shadow of the rocky Palisades, a part of the Vaca mountain range. This property enjoys a rich history, relating to both prospecting and viticulture and was part of the original Rancho Carne Humana land grant. Immigrants from Scotland, James Horn and his wife Jeannie, purchased 160 … [Read more...]

Chris Hamilton Cellars. Chris's first visit to Napa Valley was in 2009 and the first Napa winery he visited was Far Niente. He was impressed by the picturesque grounds and the old caves. While walking inside the cave, he noticed an ethereal looking mist had risen to the cave's ceiling (presumably from some cellar work that was in progress). He remembers … [Read more...]