Conn Creek Winery was founded in 1973 by Bill and Kathy Collins (Bill died in early 2017 at age 89 and Kathy passed in late 2023 one day short of age 94); this is one of the older continuously operating wine brands in Napa Valley. Bill and Kathy purchased 54 acres of Zinfandel (finding the property listing in the Wall Street Journal's real estate section) … [Read more...]

Pott Wine (Aaron, Claire & daughters) was started by long time Napa winemaker Aaron Pott. He and his wife Claire own several sizable and rugged pieces of land on Mt. Veeder. Their first property (76 acres) was purchased in 2004, a former prune orchard at about 1600 feet. They started with only 1/3 of an acre of vines and later planted out a total of … [Read more...]

Kelleher Family Vineyard. The Kelleher Family (Don and Donna) produce a limited number of wines each year, bottled under the brand Kelleher. They also own Brix Restaurant located on Highway 29 about 2 miles north of Yountville. Brix opened on March 28, 1996. Don would often visit Napa Valley in the 1980s and 1990s; he would try to get a reservation last … [Read more...]

Big Cat Wines was founded in 2018 by Jose Tenorio and Brian David Kulich. Jose is the sole proprietor of Big Cat; he also operates another wine brand called Huino (pronounced like 'we know'), both under the parent company of Jo Ten Beverage. Big Cat Wines sources grapes primarily from premium vineyards in Napa Valley, although some of their bottlings are … [Read more...]

ELLMAN Estate Winery was founded by two brothers, Neil and Lance Ellman. Both were born in South Africa and moved with their family to the United States when they were very young (to the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area) in 1974. Their grandfather Nathan Ellman started Softex in 1954, a pillow and bedding manufacturing business in South Africa (the family grew … [Read more...]

Vice Versa Wine. Founder Patrice Breton was born in Ottawa; during his youth he gravitated towards art, books and later wine. And at age 19 (the legal drinking age in Ottawa is 18) he wasn't able to afford many wines but was able to try a particular sauternes, a 1983 Château Guiraud. Hooked but without a large budget he began to purchase books on wine to … [Read more...]

Venge Vineyards is owned by talented winemaker Kirk Venge. Kirk was born in Rutherford, Napa Valley and like his father, winemaker Nils Venge, graduated from the University of California, Davis in 1998 with a degree in Viticulture and Enology. In addition to winemaking at Venge Vineyards, Kirk is also a highly sought after consulting winemaker working with … [Read more...]

CHANDON California is one of Napa Valley's iconic and well- visited wineries; they are only one of four Napa Valley based wineries that focus on sparkling wine production, i.e. Champagne style wines (the others being Mumm Napa Valley, Domain Carneros and Schramsberg). CHANDON California owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH); LVMH also owns or has part … [Read more...]

Mayacamas Vineyards is a historic winery located high in the Mayacamas mountains west of Napa Valley near Mt. Veeder. The winery sits on the edge of a crater of an extinct volcano. One can clearly see parts of the surrounding crater with its still standing prominent stone rock formations. Approximately 49 acres of vineyards are planted on the 475-acre … [Read more...]

Silver Oak was founded in 1972; their remarkable success story begins with two men, co-founders Justin Meyer and Raymond (Ray) Twomey Duncan (both deceased). Ray was born in South Bend Indiana to parents Walter Sr (a World War I veteran) and Velma Twomey Duncan; he was raised in La Salle, Illinois (population today around 9,500 residents) and graduated in … [Read more...]