Angelo Owens Wines was founded by Jeff and Valerie Owens with their inaugural vintage produced in 2021; Jeff's father is also a partner in the brand. Jeff and Valerie met at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo; like many students enrolled here, are equally split between northern California and Southern. She was from Orange County and he from Sacramento. Jeff began … [Read more...]

Aspire Wine (not to be confused with The Spire Collection, also in Calistoga) was founded by Phil & Beth Rielly; this 230 acre ranch is perched on the divide between Napa and Sonoma County, with the county line running through their property and roughly dividing their land 50% in each county. The Napa Valley side of the ranch is in the Calistoga sub … [Read more...]

Kingsmark Wine was founded by Dallas based Whitney Skibell. In 1888, Whitney's great great grandfather started Colorado Cooperage Works; his first business was to deliver wood barrels to Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado. Her grandfather, Samuel Rudd, the eldest son worked for the family business. Rudd, a career entrepreneur (died 1986) moved to Wichita … [Read more...]

Stereograph Wines was launched in 2023 and is a partnership between winemaker Sally Johnson Blum and her husband Max; that same year, they founded SJB Winemaking, a full-service winemaking firm providing winemaking services for a number of small brands both in Napa Valley and and outside of the valley. This is a cohesive partnership; Sally makes the wines … [Read more...]

Southern Roots Wine. Wine is about bringing people together and building relationships and is often centered around food. And it is what cemented a long friendship resulting in the creation of Southern Roots Wines. Take Alabama native Frank O'Neill and Georgia born Rob Francis for example; both men met while working at Birmingham based ProAssurance, a … [Read more...]

Đồi Đá (pronounced doy dah) was founded with its inaugural vintage in 2022, a Cabernet Sauvignon. Their 18 acre rocky property is located directly behind (east) of Signorello Vineyards. It is surrounded by other AVA's but is not within any of them, rather this is designated as Napa Valley Appellation. Although perhaps these rocky slopes should be a part of … [Read more...]

Forgotten Union Wines was founded by winemaker and viticulturist Benjamin Leachman with his first commercial bottling in 2015, a Cabernet Sauvignon from the valley floor in the Stags Leap District. To Benjamin, winemaking is a craft not an art, an ethos that embraces science but also all the tools one needs to bring wine to market from the vineyard to the … [Read more...]

Scarecrow was founded in 2003 (inaugural vintage) by artists Bret Lopez and Mimi DeBlasio. But the story begins with Judge Joseph Cohn, Bret's grandfather. Cohn was born in Harlem in 1895; his family was very poor. Lopez remembers visiting his grandparents at their home for dinner and wondering why his grandfather always had two loaves of bread in the … [Read more...]

Kazumi Wines was founded by Michelle Sakazaki with her first vintage from 2015. The name Kazumi honors her Japanese heritage, with 和(kazu) meaning harmony and 美(mi) referring to beauty. The inception of Kazumi is rooted in friendship, timing and being in the right place at the right time. Michelle is good friends with growers, the Perret family, the founders … [Read more...]

Bella Union Winery. Bella Union's first vintage was in 2012, a Cabernet Sauvignon; the wine was produced for several years at the old Del Bondio Winery on Bella Oaks Lane in Rutherford and also at Nickel and Nickel. Bella Union only produced Cabernet Sauvignon for 10 years. In late 2021 Far Niente Wine Estates (FNWE) purchased Provenance Winery and the … [Read more...]