Goosecross Cellars is located only a few minutes' drive from Yountville, yet feels very much off the beaten path. This still small winery was founded by two couples in 1985, David & Colleen Topper and winemaker Geoff Gorsuch and his wife Karen. They operated Goosecross Cellars until the Spring of 2013 when they sold the winery and surrounding vineyard to … [Read more...]

O'Brien Estate Winery is located among vineyards in the Oak Knoll District at the edge of northern Napa's urban residential creep. This district is known for its moderate temperatures and diversity of grape varieties. Oak Knoll District is far enough away from the San Pablo Bay but not too far north; therefore, it is not as cold as the Carneros region to the … [Read more...]

Robert Mondavi Winery (acquired by Constellation Brands, Inc. in 2004, the same company that also owns 50% of Opus One) is one of Napa Valley's most iconic and visited wineries; it is located on the busy "wine strip" on the west side of Highway 29 in Oakville just north of Oakville Cross Road. It is one of the few wineries in the valley that draws people … [Read more...]

Cliff Lede Vineyards (pronounced "LayDee") was founded in 2002 on site of what used to be S. Anderson Vineyard; in 1971 Stanley (a dentist from Pasadena) and Carol (winemaker) Anderson (both now deceased), purchased 28 acres of land and by 1979 had built a winery and began producing sparkling wines with their first release in 1983 - in part using Chardonnay … [Read more...]

Silver Oak Cellars 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 … [Read more...]

Burgess Cellars was founded in 1972 making this one of the older privately owned continuously operating wineries in Napa Valley. Burgess Cellars was owned by the Burgess family and was founded by Napa wine making pioneer Tom Burgess. Tom was a former air force pilot whose assignments included flying Project Gemini astronauts around. While he was stationed at … [Read more...]

Mathew Bruno Wines. When it comes to wine, perhaps founder Mathew Bruno has an advantage of heritage. His Italian-born grandfather and great grandfather used to grow grapes and make home wine in their root cellar. Food and wine played a large role in his family's daily life. His grandmother was an excellent cook and Mathew wistfully recalls visiting her with … [Read more...]

Component Wine Company is one of four wine brands part of the Vin Fraîche Wine Group - a collection of sommelier and winemaker created and owned wines ranging from vineyards in California, Oregon, Washington, Bordeaux and Tuscany. The wine brands are Component Wines (Napa Valley & Bordeaux), Gagnon-Kennedy (primarily Napa Valley), State of Mind (Oregon, … [Read more...]

Vine Hill Ranch. After more than ten years of tasting up and down Napa Valley on a project that alternates between passion and obsession (The Napa Wine Project), I realized I had somehow visited with nearly 900 unique Napa based wineries and producers. In setting up my auspicious visit number 900 I carefully looked for a producer with a unique vineyard … [Read more...]

Tank Garage Winery was originally formed as a partnership between Napa Valley wine industry veterans James Harder and Jim Regusci. This was not their first venture together in the valley; they both worked together at James Cole Winery and the former nearby T-Vine Cellars Tasting room and winery. Today Harder owns Tank Garage and Regusci owns T-Vine Cellars. … [Read more...]