Black Cordon was founded by the husband wife team of David and Karen Dunphy with their first vintage from 2007. Both are from Minnesota. David has been a self-admitted "wine geek" since the age of 18. He was introduced to Napa Valley in 1978 after hearing about the Judgment of Paris tasting held in Paris two years prior. While living in Minnesota he and … [Read more...]

Fortunati Vineyards is a small producer owned by husband and wife Ellen and Gary Luchtel. Ellen and Gary met at San Francisco State where both were majoring in business - at the time Gary was already a "wine geek" as Ellen told us, long before this term was widely used. Both started coming up on the weekends to Napa and Sonoma - meeting with winery owners, … [Read more...]

Davis Estates was founded by Mike and Sandy Davis with the purchase of two contiguous properties, the larger piece in 2011 followed by a smaller piece in 2012 (in the Calistoga appellation). The total property is 155 acres. Prior to their purchase the land was owned by longtime residents of the Napa Valley, the Saviez Family (who we originally met with years … [Read more...]

Eleven Eleven Winery held their grand opening on March 21, 2015 at 11:11am in the old Barrel Stop Winery on Trancas Ave located just outside of the Napa city limits; the dividing line in this part of Napa between the county and the city is Trancas Avenue. Eleven Eleven took over this location after the previous owners declared a bankruptcy, although that is … [Read more...]

Kale Wines was founded in 2008 by winemaker and owner Kale Anderson and his wife Ranko. Kale was born in San Diego, grew up in Santa Rosa (Sonoma County) and went to UC Davis to study pre-med. While not from a winemaking heritage, Kale discovered his love of wines on his own. By year three at UC Davis, he realized medicine wasn't sparking a passion so he … [Read more...]

Nicholson Jones (not to be confused with Nicholson Vineyards in Santa Cruz or Nicholson Ranch in Sonoma County) is a premium producer of limited production wines founded by Cal Nicholson and his wife Pam. The name combines both his last name as well as Pam's maiden name. Both Cal and his wife are accomplished individuals; Cal has enjoyed a long career in a … [Read more...]

Azur Wines was founded by Julien and Elan Fayard; the first vintage was produced in 2009. Elan is from the San Francisco Bay Area and because of her interest in wine, studied in parts of France. Elan met Julien Fayard in the Loire Valley where she was living and studying. Today Elan is the sole proprietor of Azur Wines. Elan eventually moved to Napa Valley … [Read more...]