Nichelini Winery is one of Napa's most historical wineries having been founded in 1890. It is about a 15-minute drive from the valley floor up Highway 128 (Sage Canyon Road) towards Lake Berryessa (up the grade and just a few minutes past the entrance to Kuleto Estate Winery). Nichelini is located in southern tip of the Chiles Valley appellation - one of … [Read more...]

Olabisi Winery was founded in 2002 and is run by Ted Osborne and his wife Kim. Ted is part of a generation of ambitious winemakers in the Napa Valley (who came here when they were in their twenties from elsewhere) who earned their way towards running their own wineries through a lot of hard work from the ground up. Ted is self-taught having entered the wine … [Read more...]

Vermeil Wines was founded by Dick and Carol Vermeil, founding winemaker Paul Smith (no longer making the Vermeil Wines) and several investors. Paul has a long history in Napa Valley working at prestigious wineries such as Opus One, Robert Mondavi and Joseph Phelps. For a number of years, the Vermeil wines were produced at OnThEdge Winery on Spring Mountain. … [Read more...]

Opus One. With the combined efforts of two enterprising and well-respected individuals in the world of wine, Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi, (at the time, owners of Château Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux and Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley), the creation of this winery played a significant role in elevating the stature and reputation of … [Read more...]

Orin Swift Cellars was founded by winemaker Dave Phinney in 1998 when he was only 24 years old. Dave has a long history of winemaking at premium wineries in Napa Valley including Robert Mondavi Winery and Whitehall Lane. He paid tribute to his parents with the name of this winery; Orin is his father's middle name and Swift is his mother's maiden name. He … [Read more...]

Keever Vineyards are located in foothills of the Mayacamas mountains (about 300 feet above the valley floor) close to the Yountville Veterans home, just south and west of the town of Yountville. Olga Keever (who we first met with) is married to Bill Keever, a graduate of Napa High School. Bill's father Marvin worked in the telephone industry for 4+ … [Read more...]

Kelham Vineyards is located on the midpoint of Zinfandel Lane just south of the town of St. Helena; as of 2025, visits are paused for the foreseeable future and the Kelham sign has been removed. This creative and intriguing family spent years developing what was the old Shadow Brook Winery into a beautiful estate. Shadow Brook was originally founded in 1984 … [Read more...]

Kenefick Ranch is a family run vineyard and wine producer located near the small town of Calistoga in the northern part of Napa Valley at the base of the nearby lower hills of the Vaca mountain range. While somewhat hidden, this part of the valley is home to several old head-pruned vineyards and notable nearby producers include Eisele and Kelly Fleming. … [Read more...]