Cana Ranch Wines was founded by proprietors Tyler and Kelly Mullman. Tyler was raised in Kansas and now lives in Houston, but as a child he had a strong connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. He lived here when he was very young and later spent summers visiting his father in the region.
He and Kelly spent their first anniversary in Napa Valley in 2014 and fell in love with the valley, its people and the wine culture they experienced. Wine soon became a hobby, and they quickly discovered they enjoyed premium wines. They continued returning to Napa Valley every other year. In 2021, they moved to Houston, around the same time Tyler experienced what he calls his “mid-career crisis.” He was tired of working for someone else and not being able to make his own decisions.
He and Kelly began talking about doing something different, something that would represent a significant life change. And if they were going to pursue something new, they wanted it to have a charitable component. That seed was planted, and they began looking into the logistics. Through research and many discussions, they ultimately decided to create a nonprofit winery.
A friend Tyler went to graduate school with asked him a simple but important question: “What do you know about making wine, and what do you know about running a nonprofit?” Tyler was determined to find out; following that conversation, Tyler found the U.C. Davis online Wine Certificate program and also discovered Belong Kitchen, a nonprofit in Houston. The restaurant started by offering gourmet take-home meals—something Tyler describes as the Stouffer’s lasagna of his childhood, but gourmet.
He began volunteering at Belong Kitchen to learn how a nonprofit operates and quickly fell in love with their community. The organization provides employment opportunities for adults with special needs, including those with IDD (intellectual and developmental disabilities), partnering with these individuals in meal preparation and other work in the kitchen. His time volunteering there made him realize these individuals are capable of doing far more than many people might assume. He especially enjoyed seeing the social interaction and personal growth that resulted from meaningful employment. The individuals they work with have a variety of special needs, including Down syndrome, autism and brain injuries.
As Tyler began speaking with parents of children with special needs and learning more about their fears and concerns, it was like peeling back the layers of a community he previously knew little about. Those conversations cemented his and Kelly’s decision that this was the community they wanted to support. One concern continued to surface: what happens when parents are no longer able to care for their children, and who will take care of them? This helped shape what Tyler and Kelly wanted to accomplish and what they would need to get the project launched. Above all, respecting the dignity of these individuals is the most important part of their mission.
Proceeds from the sale of the wine will support Belong Kitchen in Houston as well as WineBev Services near the Napa County Airport. WineBev is also a nonprofit and provides wine packaging services while employing adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Every bottle is sold with a $200 donation with part of the proceeds split evenly between WineBev and Belong. After the costs of producing the wine are covered, the additional revenue is divided 50/50 between these two organizations.
Tyler’s approach was to first focus on making a great wine which is the ‘easy’ part, as he puts it, and then figure out how to sell it. He loves the serendipity of the business. When he has worried about something or is trying to determine the next step, all of a sudden the right contact seems to appear, often offering assistance or advice, and he follows that lead. Everyone he has come into contact with along the way has been supportive of the business and its mission.
Tyler and his winemaker Richard Frederick met through winemaker Graeme MacDonald. Graeme called Richard one afternoon and told him he had a potential client but didn’t have the bandwidth to take on another client. In March 2024, Tyler visited Napa Valley on a particularly rainy day; he was staying at El Bonita and met Richard at the Valley Cafe on Main Street in St. Helena. Their conversation was not dominated by wine; rather, they connected through their shared Midwest lifestyles and backgrounds.
Richard’s philosophy is that his clients’ success is his success. As a consulting winemaker, he believes strongly in establishing good relationships with the people he works with. His first vintage in Napa Valley was in 2001.
Far from his world of winemaking, Richard graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. in Applied Psychology. His aunt and uncle, Tracey and John Skupny of Lang & Reed Winery planted the seed for him to come up to St. Helena and work a harvest. He did so at what was Kent Rasmussen Winery (now home of Bougetz Cellars). In 2003, two years after his first Napa Valley vintage, Richard was having lunch at the Culinary Institute of America when he started planning to move from San Francisco to Napa Valley. He later worked at Koves-Newlan with winemaker Tim Callahan (now home of Ransome Winery), where he learned by doing, gaining experience with the basics and logistics of winemaking.
His good friend Todd Newman recommended that Richard work as cellarmaster at Revana Vineyard, where he worked with winemakers Heidi Barrett and Thomas Rivers Brown through the 2018 harvest. He was also the full time winemaker for Vine Cliff prior to the ownership change. Richard started consulting in 2024, choosing to work with clients he enjoys being around. One of the most important parts of being a consulting winemaker is simply getting along with your clients.
Select Wines
The 2024 Cana Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal from the Tournahu Vineyard in St. Helena. This wine is deep ruby with purple hues and is opaque; generous in terms of its aromatics for both fruit and barrel in its youth at two years post vintage. Dark fruit, savory tones and barrel influences create a layered aromatic expression. The scents include blackberry, Satsuma plum, boysenberry, blueberry, dark mulberry and black cherry. Its non fruited notes include dried herbs, i.e. sage, rose petals and a light lingering woodsy toasted cedar character. Generous across the palate without ever being heavy, this wine is primarily dark and sweetly fruited including flavors of blackberry, dark cherry, Santa Rosa plum, and boysenberry. The fruit sits on top of a soft acidity – with a rounded mouth feel. The ripe tannins are already well-integrated at this young age, felt with a rounded and lightly dusty character. At this age the oak shows more on the bouquet than the palate – with time in bottle this will become more integrated. This wine drinks easily in its youth – let’s try this again. Its ABV is 14.7%. Only 150 cases were produced.
The wine was aged for 18 months in 75% new French oak barrels. The idea was to create a bigger and more extracted expression of the wine. Fermentation lasted 14 days from start to finish, including a seven-day cold soak, with temperatures reaching into the low 80s. They use a Williams Selyem-inspired tub and screen setup, with two pump-overs per day and a rotating irrigator on top of the tank. Throughout the process, Richard is careful about managing the tannins. The fruit was harvested at 26 Brix; with a higher Brix, the personality of the vineyard is often lost. Richard’s goal with the finished wine is to create a beverage where nothing really sticks out, and everything works cohesively including flavor, acidity, texture and oak.
The Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from less than an acre of Block 4, planted to clone 169. This block is primarily dry farmed, with Josh Clark overseeing the vineyard management, although Richard also has input into the farming as needed. By day 10, the desired color and extraction have generally been achieved; Richard prefers to get what he wants early in the process rather than push the extraction later. The wine is pressed off slightly sweet and finishes fermentation in barrel. He does not inoculate for malolactic fermentation, although the wine goes through full ML.
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The name Cana Ranch is a reference to the ancient town of Cana, historically associated with the biblical story of water being turned into wine. The word “Ranch” is an homage to Tyler and Kelly’s roots in Oklahoma and Texas.
Their vision is to eventually purchase a winery and vineyard in Napa Valley and hire employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They also plan to introduce additional wines, including Sauvignon Blanc.
Sales are primarily direct to consumer (DTC), although they are also targeting select restaurants where the wines would be a good fit.
Napa Valley vintners Ron and Susan Haber provided the inspiration for another idea. After the devastating fires in Napa Valley in 2020, they offered a steak and wine special at Brasswood Restaurant in St. Helena, with a portion of the proceeds donated to their local fire department. Tyler and Kelly are taking that same concept to Houston and are working with a restaurant to create something similar, with proceeds supporting a local cause.
Membership is structured simply, with members receiving one case each year of the current release. To purchase wine, to donate to their efforts or to join the Cana Ranch Circle membership, visit: www.canaranch.org
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