Matt Morris Wines. We first met Matt on Dunaweal Lane, one of Calistoga's most historic viticulture neighborhoods. The site was Tofanelli Vineyard, one of the properties providing the grapes for his Charbono. It was on this property that we first met proprietor Vince Tofanelli many years ago on the side of his vineyard next to the road where he poured us his … [Read more...]

Amlés(pronounced ahmlay) was founded by Scott Miller and his wife Sharon Virts with their inaugural vintage in 2018. This Napa Valley brand is built around Scott and Sharon's interests and passions in life including wine, history, art and charitable giving. The word Amlés was created by spelling Selma backwards and adding an accent mark over the letter e. … [Read more...]

Tela Wines (not to be confused with the winery of the same name in the country of Georgia) is the definition of a small under-the-radar family owned boutique brand. Founded in 2005 by Eric and his wife Annie Bouthillette Mercier, the focus of their production has remained extremely consistent over the years: a single annual bottling of about 200 cases of … [Read more...]

Ink Grade Estate is named in homage to Theron H. Ink, a prominent Napa Valley landowner from the 1800s and is rooted in a vineyard partially in the Howell Mountain appellation, which was originally owned by Ink. Proprietor Gaylon Lawrence acquired the Ink Grade property in 2018 as part of purchasing Heitz Cellars. The Heitz family purchased the site in 1989. … [Read more...]

Adversity Cellars produced their inaugural vintage in 2019. The word adversity invites another accompanying word, overcome. And it's about overcoming adversity that is at the root of Russell and Heidi Bevan's wine brand relating to not only the types of vineyards they work with, but in one's own life and also relating to the world of making wine in Napa … [Read more...]

Dalecio Family Wines. Scott Dalecio grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area; his early introduction to wine came when he was working in the food and beverage industry and making wine purchase decisions for various properties. Admittedly he knew very little about wine when his career was beginning in his early 20s, but he quickly met the right people in the … [Read more...]

Pas de Cheval. While living in New York, co-founder of Pas de Cheval and now Master of Wine Vanessa Conlin began applying for wine jobs in Napa Valley. She recalls her interviews were promising until the interviewees discovered that she was still living in New York. So, she and her husband moved to Napa Valley in 2010; she did not yet have a job lined up and … [Read more...]

Freedom Estate was founded by proprietors Connie and Shawn Guttersen, with their first vintage produced in 2009. Freedom is a fickle thing, and it can be taken away in a blink of an eye. Freedom is such a strong word that there are arguably no equally powerful synonyms to describe its presence. People continue to move around the planet in search of freedom, … [Read more...]

Paula Kornell Sparkling Wine is a partnership between the brand's namesake, Paula Kornell and Vintage Wine Estates. Their inaugural vintage was from 2017, a Blanc de Noir. We met Paula at her house which she affectionally calls, "chateau drool", greeted by her and a huge, overtly friendly English Mastiff named Piper. Those who know Paula know her devotion to … [Read more...]

Denali Estate was founded by Walt and Katherine Schlotfeldt with their first vintage in 2016. Katherine's mother lived in Sonoma for twenty years; Katherine would often visit her and during her trips, became familiar with both Sonoma County and Napa Valley. Walt would frequently fly both of them from Seattle to the Santa Rosa Airport; over the years they … [Read more...]