Signorello Estate. Ray Signorello Sr., purchased property in the hills next to the southern part of the Silverado Trail in 1977; his original intent was to own a summer home away from San Francisco Bay area where he lived at the time. Neighbors, including Frank Altamura were already growing wine grapes; in 1980 with the help of his son, Ray Jr., they planted … [Read more...]

TWOMEY (pronounced two-me). The winery was founded and is owned by the Duncan Family, the co-founders of the well-regarded Napa Valley and Sonoma County based wineries, Silver Oak. Brothers David, Tim, Mike and Kevin Duncan founded TWOMEY in 1999. David is the managing partner; the name TWOMEY comes from their grandmother Velma's maiden name and is the … [Read more...]

V12 Vineyards was founded by race car driver and auto enthusiast, Jimmy Vasser; their first vintage was from 2008. Jimmy was introduced to Napa Valley and its wines through an auto dealership he and his father James purchased in 1998 in the city of Napa. This original dealership is still there and at the time of their purchase housed both the Toyota and … [Read more...]

B Cellars (founded 2003) makes their wine in Napa Valley and uses primarily Napa Valley grown grapes with Sonoma County vineyards providing the majority of the grapes for their white wines. For years they maintained a business office in Orange County (south of Los Angeles). We first caught up with the owners at a tasting in Los Angeles (yes one of the many … [Read more...]

Parable Wines was founded in 2022 by the Eppright family from Austin, Texas including Fred (founder of Eppright Homes) and his wife Paula and their two sons, Trey and Matt. Trey recalls trying his first wine at age 15 while on the gulf of Texas with his father and his father's friend, a lawyer who was celebrating winning an important trial. The friend … [Read more...]

Abiouness Wines. Originally from Virginia, founder and namesake Nicole Abiouness's first introduction to wine was while studying at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She completed a course in wine, recalling its heavy focus on tannins and acidity. Then she took an internship in London at a sole proprietor run catering company and taught wine classes … [Read more...]

Chris Pratt Cellars. In Napa Valley there are boutique wineries and then there are micro producers, the smallest of the smallest. Take Chris Pratt Cellars for example; winemaker and namesake of the brand, Chris Pratt produces only 100 to 150 cases a year, typically only several bottlings a vintage including a white and a red wine. The first vintage bottled … [Read more...]

Bella Oaks Wine. Bella Oaks Vineyard is located on the west side of Rutherford in the shadow of the Mayacamas mountains. This 13-acre site was planted by Dr. Bernard (Barney) and Ivabelle (Belle) Rhodes entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon. Grapes from the property were first bottled as a vineyard designate by Heitz Cellar in 1973 and produced through 2007. The … [Read more...]

Firetree Family Vineyards This 70-acre property on the Napa side of Carneros was purchased by the Jimenz Family in April 2021 by husband and wife Ricardo and Dayva and their three children, Ricardo Alfonso, Sophya and Marianna. The land was originally part of Rancho Entre Napa a 7,000-acre Mexican land grant. It was used for cattle grazing in the late 1880s; … [Read more...]

Sommras Napa Valley. Proprietor, Geetesh Goyal produced his first vintage bottled under Sommras in 2018. His interest in wine comes through heritage. He is half Indian and half Italian; some of his fondest memories are walking with his grandfather through vineyards in Italy. He studied at UC Davis (dental school) with the intent to graduate and become a … [Read more...]