Revelette Estate. Passing the Rutherford appellation sign while driving north, we nurtured a suspicion we may have previously been to the property that is now Revelette Estate. And our suspicions were soon confirmed; this was the prior home of Witt Estate, owned by John and Barbara Witt. We first visited with the Witts on the property in 2007. It is located … [Read more...]

Non Nocere Wine. Non nocere literally translates to, "first, do no harm" and is derived from a version of the Hippocratic Oath. Founder and winemaker Peter Hopkins tries to apply this principle to all avenues of his business including eliminating packaging excesses (no foils and minimizing bottle weights). His wines are both vintage and data driven. And as a … [Read more...]

Chris Pratt Cellars. In Napa Valley there are boutique wineries and then there are micro producers, the smallest of the smallest. Take Chris Pratt Cellars for example; winemaker and namesake of the brand, Chris Pratt produces only 100 to 150 cases a year, typically only several bottlings a vintage including a white and a red wine. The first vintage bottled … [Read more...]

Firetree Family Vineyards This 70-acre property on the Napa side of Carneros was purchased by the Jimenz Family in April 2021 by husband and wife Ricardo and Dayva and their three children, Ricardo Alfonso, Sophya and Marianna. The land was originally used for cattle grazing in the late 1880s; a historic barn still stands on the property as do remnant stone … [Read more...]

Migliavacca Wine Company. The Migliavacca (the 'g' is silent) family winemaking heritage is deeply rooted in the historical fabric of the city of Napa. For some 50+ years from 1866 through to the start of Prohibition, Migliavacca Wine Co was a formidable presence. Founder Giacomo Migliavacca became the city's first self-made millionaire, at one point was the … [Read more...]

Kongsgaard Wine - A cave shrouded in silence is perhaps the ultimate studious environment to work within an underground winery. A cave with classical music playing quickly changes the atmosphere and ties the science of winemaking into the art of winemaking. Judging by John Kongsgaard's large collection of CDs in the wine cave - his work here is seldom done … [Read more...]