Shibumi Knoll Vineyards was founded by Don and Joann Ross (now Serafini) with the release of their 2005 vintage. Don was a former NASA engineer who worked on the Apollo Lunar Landing Project; later he was chairman of Louisville, Kentucky based Cardinal Shower Enclosures. He died in 2016 after a long battle with cancer. Joann worked in Television and Film, … [Read more...]

Mira Winery was co-founded by long time Napa winemaker Gustavo "Goose" Gonzalez and Jim "Bear" Dyke. Their story covers multiple parts of the country but is centered on the Napa Valley. Gustavo was in Washington DC in 2005 for some wine related events when he stopped by the upscale Off The Record Bar at the Hay Adams Hotel - a brilliant name for a bar … [Read more...]

Wheeler Farms. The Wheeler Farms estate property is located on 11.5 acres off of Zinfandel Lane just south of the city of St. Helena. For those curious about its history (and it is fascinating), the original stone winery was built in 1880 (along with a separate distillery for producing brandy) by Charles Wheeler and was conveniently located next to the train … [Read more...]

Michael Pozzan was founded by Michael and his wife Mary Ann with their first vintage from 1991. Their sons Matthew and Dante are also actively involved in the winery. Winemaking is part of their family heritage; Michael's great grandfather planted grapevines in Piedmont, Italy in the late 1800s. Growing up in the Berkeley Hills (San Francisco Bay Area) … [Read more...]

Aequitas Vineyards was founded by three partners, prominent lawyer David Boies (who also co-owns Hawk and Horse Vineyards in neighboring Lake County), Stephen Zack who served as President of the American Bar Association and Napa native, Amy Ash. Boies worked at Cravath, Swaine & Moore a law firm dating from 1819 before he left in 1997 and that same year … [Read more...]

Sodhani Vineyards is a 6 acre hillside vineyard located just north of the town of St. Helena; this property is owned by Arvind Sodhani and his wife Beverly. Arvind, built a successful career at Intel Corporation including as executive vice president of the company and also president of Intel Capital. He has enjoyed wine for many years - recalling he first … [Read more...]

Poggi Wines (pronounced po-gee) was founded by Tom and Lauri Poggi. Based in Calistoga, they operate one of the smaller estate vineyards in all of Napa Valley - approximately half an acre on the valley floor which is equivalent to approximately 450 vines. They purchased this property in 2004 and have made wine from the estate every year since other than 2008 … [Read more...]

Red Thread Wines is a small producer sourcing from vineyards high on Howell Mountain as well as locations in Sonoma and Lake counties. This brand was founded by husband-and-wife Brian and Gretchen Brakesman; their first vintage was from 2014. Brian discovered the name Red Thread while searching the internet; it is from an old Chinese proverb referring to … [Read more...]

Maxville Winery. After visiting hundreds of wineries, producers and tastings rooms in the Napa Valley it is rare at this stage of our wine project when we are truly inspired by a 'new' property for the first time (our first visit was shortly after they opened for tastings). And while under newer ownership, this property has deep historical roots in the Napa … [Read more...]