Philosophy

Our presence is only one entry in the long history of the Napa Valley and the people who have shaped it. We are merely playing a supporting role, stewards of a land in the literal heart of this valley defined by diverse and energetic geology, fertile soils, and deep history. Millennia before previous generations grew grapes and grazed cattle on this expansive terrain alongside the winding Napa River, the Wappo Indians breathed life into it—hunting, fishing, and foraging along its once-teeming banks.

From the start—with our home in Coombsville and our new Oakville estate—our farming ethos has committed us to reinvigorate landscapes, and our vineyards, after ecologies that originally existed in the region. Mirroring nature while allowing it to attain a state of equilibrium. This means using organic and biodynamic methods to restore local biodiversity with native plants, taking a holistic approach to the vineyard and its surrounding lands, and asking how each decision affects the flourishing of the vineyard, the appellation, the valley, and beyond.

More than two decades after producing our first bottles of wine, we have arrived at a succinct but powerful distillation of the philosophy that guides our approach to our work:

In collaboration with nature,

with reverence for craft,

in honor of place.

These three phrases capture our reason for being: to be connected with the natural world, and to respect the ancient methods and places that we are blessed to steward.