Ilsley Vineyards are located in the Stags Leap District - the family roots date back over 100 years in the Napa Valley when patriarch of the family, Ernest Ilsley was born in Napa in 1912. His career was not in the wine industry but rather working at Basalt Rock Company (later became Kaiser Steel of Napa). Ernest and his wife Laura "June" Ilsley began … [Read more...]

Davies Vineyards was originally founded at the historical Schramsberg Winery in the Diamond Mountain appellation just south of Calistoga. Davies is named after Jack Davies, who along with his wife Jamie, founded and restored the modern day Schramsberg - one of the earliest wineries in Napa Valley, originally founded in 1862 (still in the midst of the … [Read more...]

Karl Lawrence Cellars was founded by three partners in 1991 including Ric Henry, his brother Bryan and winemaker Michael Trujillo (who we originally met and who is no longer involved with Karl Lawrence). Ric and Bryan met Michael at a Christmas party in 1989 and Brian suggested they make some wine. In 1990 Brian and Ric made two barrels of Zinfandel in … [Read more...]

Ladera Vineyards was originally founded in 1998 by Anne & Pat Stotesbery although their first commercial release was from the 1999 vintage. Both met while attending college in the San Francisco Bay Area (Anne at the University of San Francisco and Pat at Stanford University). They would visit Napa Valley during various trips (Anne's grandmother lived in … [Read more...]

Madonna Estate is located in the Napa Los Carneros AVA directly next to the often busy Highway 12 (their parking lot is accessible via Old Sonoma Road). The winery is owned by the Bartolucci's, one of the oldest wine making families in Napa Valley. Andrea "Andy" Bartolucci first came to Napa Valley in 1913 from a small village along the Adriatic coast, in … [Read more...]

Napa Cellars is located about a 5 minute drive north of Yountville on the west side of St. Helena Highway directly across the driveway from Piazza del Dotto Winery. It is one of the first few wineries seen as one drives north on Highway 29 from the town of Napa and a result of their location often makes a good stop for first time visitors to the valley. As … [Read more...]

Oakville Ranch is a beautiful hillside estate property located in the Oakville appellation in the hills on the east side of Napa Valley at an elevation of about 1,000 feet. Their location is among some of the most premium vineyard real estate in the valley - with several prestigious wineries as neighbors (including Ovid and Dalla Valle). They are not open to … [Read more...]

Page Wine Cellars was founded in 1997 with a tiny production of just 36 cases. The winery and winemaking are operated by Bryan Page and his brother Chris. We first met Bryan at a tasting in San Francisco sometime around 2007. For many years, the winery was in a warehouse location in the city of Napa just off of Highway 29, but in early 2022 Bryan moved his … [Read more...]

Quintessa Winery is an architecturally intriguing winery located on the west side of the Silverado Trail just north of Rutherford Cross Road. The estate encompasses 280 acres of which approximately 135 acres are planted to vine. The winery was founded in 1989 by well-known Chilean vintners Agustin Huneeus and his wife Valeria. Vines were first planted in … [Read more...]