Switchback Ridge has a long family history in Napa Valley dating back to 1914 when property at the base of Dutch Henry Canyon south east of the town of Calistoga just off of the Silverado Trail was purchased by family relatives Elizabeth/Eliza and Mads Peterson. Mads immigrated to the U.S. in 1883 from Denmark and passed away in 1936; Eliza was originally … [Read more...]

Haynes Vineyard. While there are older vineyards in Coombsville still commercially producing, the Haynes Vineyard, not to be confused with the also historic Hayne Vineyard in St. Helena, is probably the most well-known vineyard in the appellation. The property was under the same family ownership from 1885 until 2019 when it was acquired by Gaylon Lawrence, … [Read more...]

Brannan Wines was founded with their inaugural vintage by winemaker Seth Cripe (Lola Wines) and Carl Denne. Both men are residents of Calistoga and randomly met over a conversation hanging out in the hot tub at Calistoga based Solage Resort. They connected over their love of wines; Seth soon introduced Carl to some of his own wines (Lola). They created … [Read more...]

NEOTEMPO Wine was founded by Kia Behnia and Tracy Borman with their inaugural release in 2021. However, the story begins much earlier than this. Kia and Tracy were biking along the Silverado Trail in 1996 when one of their tires went flat. Needing to fix it, they stopped and noticed a nearby property featuring a 1950s era cottage perched on top of a … [Read more...]

Vida Valiente in Spanish translates to a valiant life. This winery is owned by Hayes and Susana Drumwright and winemaker Sam Kaplan and his wife Nancy. The first vintage of Vida Valiente was from 2019. In 2017, Hayes and Susanna purchased a 17.5 acre property east of St. Helena on Crystal Springs Road. It is located in what was Napa Valley's newest sub … [Read more...]

CourAvant produced their first vintage in 2019 and was founded by proprietors Gary and Sharon Lessing. The Lessing's first trip to Napa Valley was in 1980, a year that Gary recalled was when they were just getting into wine. They were introduced to buttery Chardonnays at the time and their special red wines were Silver Oak and a Robert Mondavi reserve. They … [Read more...]

Sire Estate was founded by Thomas Buck in 2012. He grew up in Concord in the east bay and graduated from the football powerhouse, De La Salle High School. This high school is operated by the Christian Brothers, who also own Mont La Salle on Mt. Veeder in Napa Valley. While in high school he was introduced to Napa Valley through yearly retreats at Mont La … [Read more...]

Studio 1299A. Founder of Studio 1299A in St. Helena, Monica Stevens moved to Napa Valley in 2006 from Chicago. Prior to her move, she was already involved in the wine business working as a publicist for a variety of wine clients including several wine consortiums in South Africa, New Zealand and Ribera del Duero DO in Spain. Her only domestic client was … [Read more...]

Shanti Wines was founded by Ray and Dimple Sharma. Both were born in a part of India located north of New Delhi. They mutually began to explore wine while living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ray works as a real estate broker and Dimple as a project manager. Each contributes their individual skills to their wine brand, Ray a business acumen and Dimple an … [Read more...]