The Company We Keep
We consider it both a privilege and an honor to work with names renown in the food & wine worlds. From award-winning wineries to executive chefs, our “Tastes of Life Worth Pursuing” Collection has featured some of the best company around. Notable names such as Quintessa, CADE, Domaine Carneros, Duckhorn, and Staglin are just a few of the friends we’ve welcomed aboard.
  John SHAFER + SHAFER Vineyards Bio Shafer Vineyards traces its beginnings to 1972 when John Shafer left a 23-year career in the publishing industry and, with his family, moved to the Napa Valley to pursue a second career in wine. After purchasing a 210-acre estate in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, the Shafer family faced the arduous task of replanting the existing vineyards, which dated to the 1920s, and terracing the steep and rocky hillsides, eventually expanding vineyard acreage to its current 50 acres. Doug Shafer became winemaker in 1983 after graduating from the University of California at Davis with a degree in enology and viticulture. A year later Elias Fernandez joined the winery as assistant winemaker. Together Doug and Elias have worked closely to forge the Shafer style of quality, consistency and elegance. |
  The Winery at Quintessa: In 2002, Valeria and Agustin Huneeus’ dream of the Quintessential Wine Estate, one vineyard that produces one singular estate wine, was realized with the opening of the winery at Quintessa. Walker Warner Architects of San Francisco designed the winery to reflect Agustin and Valeria Huneeus’ desire for an inconspicuous structure that would blend into the contours of the property. The graceful crescent-shaped design was carefully considered for its environmental sensitivity and fits snugly into an eastern-facing hillside, disrupting little in the way of the aesthetics or natural beauty of the property. A facade of indigenous stone and natural landscaping of native plants and oak trees creates a subtle presence amidst the diverse terrain. |
Napa Valley Winegrowing and Winemaking Philosophy At Duckhorn Vineyards, we believe that wines are made in the vineyard. While this may not be a new concept, it is one that we take very seriously. Therefore, in the late 1980s, we began to locate and purchase vineyard properties in recognized Napa Valley areas in order to acquire sufficient vineyard land to meet most of our long-term grape needs. |
 CADE http://www.cadewinery.com/cade/tastingroom.aspx |
 Plumpjack http://www.plumpjackwinery.com/plumpjackwinery/ |
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Duckhorn http://www.duckhorn.com/ |
 Domaine Carneros http://www.domainecarneros.com/Winemakers |
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 Meadowood http://www.meadowood.com/wine-and-cuisine/ |
 Staglin http://www.staglinfamily.com/ |
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 Draeger’s Markets and Cooking School http://www.draegers.com/html/au_fset.html |
 Justin http://www.justinwine.com/justinwine_proprietors.php |
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 Alpha Omega http://www.aowinery.com/about-alpha-omega/history |
 Rubicon Estate http://www.rubiconestate.com/flash.php |
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 Patz & Hall http://www.patzhall.com/About/ |
 Auberge De Soleil http://www.aubergedusoleil.com/html/dining.php |
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Chef Mollie http://tmollie.com/ |
 Chef James Sly http://www.slysonline.com/ |
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 Chef Kurt Grasing http://www.grasings.com/about.htm |
Italian American Heritage Foundation http://www.iahfsj.org/What-We-Do |
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Lail vineyards http://www.lail-vineyards.com/our_family_01.html |
Marimar Estate http://www.marimarestate.com/page/index2.php |
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Soquel Vineyards http://www.soquelvineyards.com/aboutus/index.asp |
 Chef Celestino Drago http://www.celestinodrago.com/History.php |
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 girl & the fig http://www.thegirlandthefig.com/ |
Heitz Cellars http://www.heitzcellar.com/legacy/secondgen.cfm |
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 Chef Cal Staminov – Bernardus http://www.bernardus.com/lodge/cal/index.htm |
 Escoffier http://fondation-escoffier.org/escoffier/ |
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Wente http://www.wentevineyards.com/ |
 Chappellet http://www.chappellet.com/Our_Story |
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Chef Pisto http://montereyscooking.com/ |
Central Coast Wine Classic http://www.centralcoastwineclassic.org/ |
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 Pahlmeyer http://www.pahlmeyer.com/jayson-pahlmeyer.html |
 Jordan http://www.jordanwinery.com/people/detail/9 |
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 Viader http://www.viader.com/winemakers.html |
Spottswoode http://www.spottswoode.com/content/people/family_maryNovak.html |
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Tudor http://www.tudorwines.com/tudorwines/page/winemakers.jsp |
Testarossa http://www.testarossa.com/about_us/rob_and_diana.php |
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Byington http://www.byington.com/the-byington-family.php |
Silicon Valley Capital Club http://www.clubcorp.com/Clubs/Silicon-Valley-Capital-Club |
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Kendal Jackson http://www.kj.com/learn/winemaking/winemaking-team.aspx |
Ken Frank, La Toque, Napa CA |