Tribe & Arrow

Tribe & Arrow and Olet’te (pronounced oh-let-tay) wines were founded by Jenny Lynn Heim (originally from Modesto, CA). Her path towards wine began while she was studying business at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Changing majors, she decided to take advantage of the newly implemented viticulture program at Cal Poly; she graduated with a double major with a B.S. in Wine & Viticulture and a master’s degree in Global Wine Marketing. One of her professors secured a job for her upon graduating in Calistoga – perhaps not the most exciting job right out of college for someone who has a viticulture degree, but she began working her first job in the wine industry at a tiny beer and wine compliance company.

Then she began working at Markham Vineyards, followed by 12 years on the road selling wines for Trinitas Cellars, managing their national sales & marketing program.

In 2011 she decided to produce her own wines with an initial focus on Pinot Noir. She was able to source a tiny amount of Pinot Noir from the very well-known Terra de Promissio vineyard in Sonoma County through a winemaker friend. Grapes from that vineyard were used in a Pinot Noir produced by Kosta Browne which earned the top wine from the 2009 vintage in 2011 by the Wine Spectator. Her inaugural release was from this special site.

Olet’te Wines
The current focus of Olet’te Wines is from grapes grown in Sonoma County with an emphasis on single vineyard Pinot Noir designates. And a Chardonnay and a sparkling wine are also produced. Jenny oversees winemaking for both brands, but with a strong support network in Napa Valley, she has worked with several winemakers including Alan Viader and currently winemaker Kevin Vecchiarelli (the long time winemaker at Diamond Mountain Vineyards).

The name Olet’te is tied to those (the native American coastal Miwoks) who occupied California before westerners and also to the land itself. The mythical god and supreme chief, Coyote Olet’te was believed by the Miwok people to have created the coastal gaps in the coastal mountain ranges connecting the Pacific Ocean with the inland.

Sparkling
The Olet’te Sparkling Chardonnay, Non Vintage Blanc de Blanc was sourced from vineyards in the Petaluma Gap and Chardonnay. Only one barrel of this was produced for Jessel Miller who resurrected the Napa Valley Mustard Celebration in 2022. She owns Jessel Gallery located near the city of Napa in the Silverado Arts & Wine District; she painted the colorful label for the bottle. This wine was tasted in early 2025, several months following its release. It is medium gold in color; the honeyed bouquet offers aromas of golden delicious apple, honeycomb, white nectarine, star jasmine, and a light citrus character, perhaps tangerine. Crisp and refreshing across the palate, the first flavor we noted was of honey crisp apple, along with pear, pineapple guava, kiwi and lime. The finish lingers with a lively zip, is mouthwatering and immediately invites another sip. More of this sparkling please.

Chardonnay
The 2022 Olet’te Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast Cayetana Vineyard is medium to deep gold in color; it is citrus, floral and herbal all rolled into one aromatic expression. The bouquet on this bottling is fresh and alive. Not oaky, not buttery, not over the top. We like that. Its scents are of lemon zest, lemon marmalade, grapefruit, lime, kumquat, green apple, not fully ripe pear, citrus blossom and a light note of vanilla. A refreshing Chardonnay – yes. We hope to see more of these from Napa Valley producers. The lifted palate is filled with energy buoyed by its bright acidity and dominating citrus overtones. From its flavor profile in a blind tasting we might be tempted to label this wine as Sauvignon Blanc. Don’t make that mistake; its texture is more Chardonnay like than many Sauvignon Blancs with a rounded, creamy and supple mouth feel. This wine reveals flavors of golden delicious apple, pineapple, white nectarine, pomelo and grapefruit pith. Unlike many California Chardonnays which are a meal in a glass and sport a heavy and or viscous texture, this wine is supremely nimble and light on its feet. It will wake up your palate; the energetic and mouth watering finish lingers with plenty of citrus zest.

Pinot Noir
The 2022 Olet’te Pinot Noir Petaluma Gap Cayetana Vineyard. 8 barrels were produced. This wine is pale to medium ruby; there is a pleasing interplay here between both fruit and spices. The bouquet offers ripe and sweet aromas of strawberry, cherry, dark raspberry and Santa Rosa plum. The ripe, perceived sweet (not from sugar, but from ripeness), forward-fruited and plush palate tastes like raspberries, strawberries, red cherries, currant and white pepper. This is not a light bottling of this variety; the lightly to moderately textured tannins are gravelly, broadly coating and linger with a light dusty and drying quality. Their tumbled presence is felt more on the front of the palate than the back. If there was a Pinot Noir favored by Cabernet Sauvignon enthusiasts, this wine would be a great candidate. Pair with thick piece of Jamón Ibérico or Serrano.

King Jay is bottled in tribute to her father who use to feed birds pancakes in the morning at their family cabin near Yosemite. The feedings always attracted Stellar Jays, but her father told his children that these blue birds were called King Jays. Many years later when trying to choose a name that would represent coastal California Pinot Noir vineyard sources, paying a tribute to both these birds and her father she recalled these pancake feedings and soon went online searching for King Jays. She quickly discovered there was no information about a bird named King Jay. She called up her brother and he informed her that their father had been calling the birds by his own made-up name, rather than their real name, Stellar Jay.

The 2020 Olet’te Pinot Noir ‘King Jay Reserve’ California. This wine is aged in barrel and then all blended just prior to bottling. Its color is pale to medium ruby; the bouquet immediately reminds us of our childhood and the smell of harvesting ripe Santa Rosa plums that had fallen to the ground in late summer from a tree our father had planted. Other scents include raspberry, strawberry and cherry pie. The bouquet is built around ripe fruit and doesn’t display any spice or earthy notes that this variety is often known for. Rounded, bright and filled with flavor, the palate sports notes of raspberry, cherry, strawberry and red plum. The tannins are noticeable, sporting a rounded and persistent dusty/chalky character on the finish. In terms of pairing we would love to drink this wine with a crispy whole roasted duck.

Through one of her winemaker friends, Jenny was introduced to Mission Ranch for Pinot Noir, the oldest commercial vineyard within Arroyo Secco AVA (Monterey County). The 2018 Olet’te King Jay Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco was produced from grapes from Mission Ranch. This is a ripe fruit forward California style Pinot Noir. Ripe raspberry along with notes of vanilla and rhubarb on the bouquet. A bowl full of fruit on the palate including raspberry, strawberry and cherries. Rounded and supple across the palate with a hint of currant on the finish.

The 2017 Olet’te Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (Dehlinger Vineyard) offer bright and lively aromatics trending towards the riper side of this variety. Showcases plenty of fruit including raspberry, strawberry, pomegranate and red licorice. Some dried rose petal notes. Also, some barrel influences are noticeable including aromas of lightly toasted cedar and a hint of mocha. Smooth and a hint of creaminess texturally across the palate but layered with flavor including raspberry. There is a sweetness of fruit especially on the finish. Lingers with some darker dessert spices along with a light touch of tannin.

Tribe & Arrow
2016 was the inaugural release of Tribe & Arrow with a focus on Napa Valley grown and produced Cabernet Sauvignon. Through a winemaker friend, Jenny secured access to a premium vineyard on Diamond Mountain at about 2,000 feet. The name comes from the fact the vineyard site was a hunting ground by native Americans, as evidenced by all the obsidian and arrow heads found over the years. But it also is more personal than this. While visiting the vineyard one day she was unable to drive in because the gate was not operating due to the electricity being out. She had to park at the bottom of the vineyard and walk – while navigating the steep road through the vineyard she came almost face to face with a large buck and took that as a sign that she was on the ‘right path’.

As a result, every bottle is labeled Diamond Dao in tribute of both the Diamond Mountain sub appellation but also dao refers to ‘the way’ or the right path. And when both words are used together it can refer to ‘the top’ referencing the vineyard site located at the top of Diamond Mountain. And also, a tribute to a way of life – the Daoist’s realizing that human life is only a small part of the greater natural world so that human actions are best represented when they are in line with ‘the flow of nature’.

The 2021 Tribe & Arrow Merlot/Cabernet Franc Diamond Dao Diamond Mountain is deep ruby and nearly opaque; open knitted the bouquet reveals aromas of cherry, raspberry, red plum, a very subtle note of wintergreen, dried sage and dried black fig. Superbly balanced, refreshing and lively the brightness of the Cabernet Franc shows through without any herbal characteristics. The palate is red fruited with flavors of tart cherry, currant, cranberry and not fully ripe red cherry. The palate finishes with grainy and gritty tannins which persist with a noticeable dusty/chalky character and dried herbs, both outpacing the fruit by far on the extended finish. This wine is clear delineation of the vintage and its mountain site with its juicy and crunchy acidity, depth of flavor and memorable structure. If you are young enough, lay some of these bottles down for a very long time – you will be richly rewarded.

The 2017 Tribe & Arrow Napa Valley Diamond Dao Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in color; this wine offers a very pretty bouquet with aromas of ripe blackberry, creme de cassis, mocha, dark olive and vanilla bean. Also notes of Graham cracker. It features a nice aromatic interplay of both fruit and barrel influence – with neither one dominating. There are some aromatic similarities to the 2016 vintage. Ripe across the palate with flavors of blackberry and darker cherry – an intensity of fruit shows especially on the finish. Earthy darker tannins with medium grip continue to linger for some time. There are some dark spice notes on the finish including pepper. This bottling is perhaps a little more savory on the finish as compared to the 2016 vintage. It is very approachable nearly 4 years post vintage date at the time of our tasting. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with 20% Merlot.

The 2016 Tribe & Arrow Napa Valley Diamond Dao Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon shows ripe aromatics of blackberry (warm blackberry cobbler), boysenberry, vanilla, mocha, brown chocolate and Graham cracker. The bouquet is aromatically generous; one might call it a desert in the glass. Opulent across the palate with layers of ripe richness – there is plenty of flavor here. Lingers with some cedar notes, darker tannins which are fairly well polished and integrated into the finish. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Merlot. Nearly 16% alcohol – a hedonistic showing. Great for those who enjoy a riper style of Napa Valley grown mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and so far from the 2021 bottling in terms of style.

VinFormant
The inception of VinFormant began while Jenny was working for Trinitas Cellars and often traveling to get exposure for their wines. However, she found some of the trips were not economically viable – spending more on travel logistics rather than on wine sales. So, she began to think of an alternative way to sell wine with a purpose to gain some traction for small brands who because of such limited production often have very little exposure. These producers are typically well under the radar and often do not have their own tasting room. She and her husband Dan founded VinFormant in 2007.

The wines are offered to a membership mailing list, at discount which is generally offered only for several days. The winemaker or owner writes a personalized paragraph or two about their wines, including any relevant history and or backstory. And he or she sets the price point on the offering – rather than VinFormant. These offerings are a unique opportunity for consumers to discover wines from small brands they never would have otherwise heard about.

And community reviews are a part of the offerings so consumers can leave their own comments and feedback after trying the wines. List members are located across the country; this is a good opportunity for small mostly Napa based brands to get a little extra exposure.

In addition, VinFormant also maintains a private client list offering access to some of the most difficult to find wines in all of the Napa Valley including Harlan, Screaming Eagle, Scarecrow, Bryant Family and Colgin among others.

Studio by Feast it Forward Napa
Wines from both brands are sold direct to consumer, sometimes through VinFormant and also through private tastings by appointment hosted at the private members club, Feast it Forward. Feast it Forward is located directly across from the Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa. This two-story building houses an “experiential showroom”, as founder Katie Hamilton Shaffer calls it – with a focus on wine, food and music. A limited number of wine producers pour their wines for members. This space was originally opened to the public but transitioned to its private format in spring 2025. Upstairs features a demonstration kitchen; when shows are being filmed here, televisions downstairs broadcast the live feed. This kitchen can also be used for guest chefs to offer culinary classes.

And visitor’s will want to stop by their bathroom to read the latest in all the graffiti and words of wisdom that visitors mark on the walls. The site has lots of perks for members including member events and plenty of space in the back of the building. The Yard is a sizable outdoor space featuring several stages, cute places to taste wines, a lemonade stand, a place for food trucks and a comfortable fake lawn. The Ultimate Airstream Film Lounge trailer is often be parked in The Yard; this trailer is used when the Feast it Forward team is on the road hosting unique lifestyle events and it also serves for private tastings on site or for special events.

The second floor features a sizable surround building deck and a swinging ‘bed’. This is an ideal perch to watch pedestrians walking to Oxbow Public Market or those enjoying the park next to the Napa River. These are also some of the best seats in the area to watch live performances at the nearby green. And the interior features a full kitchen used for various culinary TV shows.

And similar to the airstream at Feast it Forward, Jenny owns “Juni”, a 1962 Santa Fe Camper turned mobile wine and cocktail bar she takes on the road for special events and tastings to showcase her wines. Several club options are available for consumers including both wine, food and travel benefits including Napa Valley focused experiences. For more information, to purchase wines or to make an appointment for a tasting with Jenny, visit: www.olettewines.com