Sylvan Lake Vineyards is located east of Napa Valley proper, perched on the eastern slopes of the Vaca mountain range overlooking Pope Valley at an elevation of between 1,600 and 1,700 feet. This property was purchased post Prohibition by George von Garden and his wife Helen. They owned nearly 1,000 acres here but over the years sold off pieces of the … [Read more...]

Appellations Cellar was founded by Ivonne Zhu in 2016. She was born in Guangdong Province (formerly Canton) in China and immigrated to the U.S. in 2002 by herself. She remembers arriving into the U.S. with merely one backpack and one larger piece of luggage. She made this transcontinental move to study at the American University in Washington DC. She later … [Read more...]

Empress Wines was founded by Margaret Wong with the first vintage produced in 2019. In 2018 Margaret purchased what was called Castrucci Vineyard and also the Castrucci wine brand from the founders of Castrucci, David and Dawn Castrucci (who moved to the east coast). The nearly 11-acre property has since been renamed to Empress Court Vineyard. The property … [Read more...]

Fess Parker Family Portfolio, Napa Tasting Room is located in the heart of downtown Napa. While there are a number of Napa Valley based wineries with a presence on California's central coast, it is rare for a central coast based winery to have a presence in Napa Valley. Fess Parker Winery (died in 2010) was founded in Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County by … [Read more...]

Annulus Cellars is a wine brand strongly rooted in family and community. It was founded by Luke Evnin, Deann Wright and their two daughters Alexandra and Elena, all of whom are actively involved in promoting their wines. After 15 years of living in San Francisco, Luke and Deann were becoming tired of the San Francisco summers. In case you need a reminder … [Read more...]