Tom and Marilyn Stolpman founded Stolpman Vineyards in 1990 after making the decision that Marilyn’s dream of an “investment we can enjoy” could include finding the perfect piece of property that could grow world-class wine grapes.Through extensive experimentation with many varietals, the team has perfected its offerings of Syrah, Roussanne, Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc. Limited plantings of Grenache, Viognier, Petite Sirah, and Chardonnay serve as blending grapes.
A lifelong passion for wine, combined with a keen interest in mountain geology, first brought Bill and Bonnie Kehret to the Fair Play region of the Sierra Foothills in the early 2000s. Amidst building a successful high-tech company in Silicon Valley and traveling globally for business, the couple became regular visitors to El Dorado County, indulging in low-key wine getaways.
In a fortunate twist of fate, the old Mt. Aukum winery came up for sale just as Bill was preparing to retire from the company he had dedicated nearly 30 years to building from the ground up. Intrigued by the potential of the microclimate atop Mt. Aukum, the well-drained granite soil, and the breathtaking views from the winery, Bill and Bonnie purchased the property in 2018. They envisioned transforming the site into a world-class winery that would showcase the unique characteristics of the region.
The following year was dedicated to a complete renovation of the facility and the installation of state-of-the-art winemaking equipment and technology. With a small, dedicated team, they transformed the site into a premier winemaking facility and began the process of renewing and expanding the estate vineyards.
In April 2019, the newly renovated tasting room at Kehret Vineyards reopened its doors. After much anticipation, the first wines from Kehret Vineyards were released in October 2019. The next crucial step in their journey to becoming a world-class winery was to find the right winemaker to lead their vision.
In 2020, Steve Leveque joined the Kehret Vineyards team as the Master Winemaker. He is reshaping winemaking in the Fair Play region, bringing with him a rich history of viticulture and world-class winemaking techniques. Steve’s impressive resume has established him as one of California’s most renowned winemakers.
Born and raised in Napa Valley, Steve has built a reputation for crafting wines that embody the purity and identity of their vineyards. His experience includes prestigious positions at notable wineries such as HALL, Chalk Hill, Opus One, and Mondavi.
In addition to being a master winemaker, Steve is also a skilled viticulturist, spending significant time overseeing vineyard operations to produce exceptional grapes of unparalleled quality. He honed his winemaking skills during a decade-long tenure at Robert Mondavi Winery and absorbed innovative ideas from leading viticulture research and visionary collaborators, including the renowned Bordeaux consultant Michel Rolland. Later, as the executive vice president and winemaker at Chalk Hill Estate Winery in Sonoma, he crafted an award-winning portfolio of small-lot Bordeaux varietals and Chardonnay. Steve then became the head winemaker for HALL Wines in Napa, as well as their partners WALT and BACA. Under his guidance, over 200 of his wines received ratings of 90 points and above during his 11-year tenure.
Steve has earned three 100-point scores from Wine Advocate, two from Jeb Dunnuck, and was recognized with the #2 Wine in the World from Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2011. More than 80 of his wines have been rated between 95 and 99 points by elite wine publications. This success is the result of years of experience marked by risk-taking, experimentation, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Steve’s winemaking philosophy begins in the vineyard. To truly tell the vineyard's story and create balanced wines, he emphasizes the importance of bold flavors. Every aspect of vineyard farming is crucial; timing is everything. Each vintage presents its own unique challenges, and vineyard operations must align with the growing season's influences. Decisions about shoot removal, hedging, and crop thinning all carry significant consequences.
For Steve, achieving a harmonious balance between vine vigor and crop is essential. He believes that cultivating low-vigor vines with low yields allows each cluster to ripen perfectly. This approach ensures that each grape cluster can develop fully, allowing for optimal ripening of sugar, tannins, texture, and flavor. Canopy management is another critical component of this process.
Numerous factors contribute to vineyard expression and balance. Once harvested, a winemaker's role is to honor that expression, employing gentle and precise techniques. Ultimately, to maintain vineyard expression and balance, winemaking must consistently respect and celebrate what the vineyard offers.
It started over 20 years ago as a fantasy: living on a lush beautiful vineyard, producing your own style of favorite premium varietal wines that are well received and appreciated by those who have discovered the wines and shared them among friends.
Drive along the scenic Highway 46 West, about three miles west of the 101 Fwy at Oakdale Road, you will find this dream has become reality for David Hunt, Winemaker and owner of Hunt Cellars, a winery committed to producing “Memorable Wines.” We believe that great wines leave indelible impressions when poured with wonderful meals and great friends and scintillating conversations.
The Parsons Family, Bill and Mary with daughters Rachael, Ali and Brooke, planted the seven-acre Parsonage Village Vineyard in June 1998. The south-facing hillside vineyard is 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean and a half mile east of the Village on Carmel Valley Road. The vineyard is planted to 3.5 acres of Syrah, 2.0 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.0 acre of Merlot and 0.5 acre of Petit Verdot. The Parsons were the first to plant Syrah in Carmel Valley.
Yields averaged about half a ton per acre for the first harvest in 2000. The tiny yield was just enough to produce 200 cases. Annual production since then has been in the 1500-2000 case range.
Over 20 years later, Parsonage is still very much a family-run vineyard and winery. Ali's husband, Frank Melicia, has been the winemaker and vineyard manager for many years. Ali and Rachael also work full-time while Brooke and her husband, Marshall, help out whenever they can. Bill and Mary live in the center of the vineyard and pretend that they are semi-retired while the business roars around them every day.
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woman enjoying picnic and wine - by wine artist Agata Zaborowski
Don't miss Enkidu amongst the cluster of newer tasting rooms in Kenwood. The staff is always friendly and always willing to open anything you may want to try, Don't miss the 07 Humbaba, 08 Sangiovese and the Tin Barn Chardonnay.
Unable to provide tasting times, if available. Can order online. Check back for updates.
Fenton Herriott Vineyards is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills at the gateway to Apple Hill, and is situated on what was once the old Pony Express Route and resides just 1/2 mile from the Smith Flat house. This region has a vibrant prospecting history, and is just a short distance from the gold mining towns of Coloma and Sutter's Mill. The Sierra Nevada foothills has been used for farming for well over 100 years. The Mediterranean climate of this area combining warm summer nights and hot summer days with free-draining volcanic soils is especially ideal for grape growing and allows us to produce the quality fruit needed for our complex, delicately-balanced and full-bodied wines. As a small, family owned winery, Fenton Herriott is intimately involved in every part of the vintner process - vineyard and vine maintenance, grape crush, fermentation, barrel ageing, bottling, and packaging.
Completely unique wine tasting experience. You can hang out on leather couches or sit at your own dining table. Super chill, great music, and across the board I found the wines really good. Jean was our super smart and gracious host. The nicest in Napa. Great place to stop in for a chill tasting and pick up something special for lunch or dinner.
Mi Sueno isn't your typical winery. It's located in an Industrial complex in the South of Napa and your tasting is in the chilled storage area of the warehouse. Despite the unconventional setting, the private tasting that I enjoyed here was extremely well done and informative. Jaime gave us a quick tour of the facility and we settled down at a grand wooden table and the pours began. Jaime is quite the story-teller, weaving together the story of the owner and the winery with the explanation for each of the wines. We tried 11 of their wines that day, with very very generous pours of each. My favorites were their 2009 Cab and the 2011 Valeria, a petit verdot, from their reserve line, Herrera, but I was also fond of the 2009 Chardonnay (not too oaky) and 2009 Pinot Noir. Give them a call or shoot them an email and make sure you stop and visit this place. A "Hidden Gem of Napa Valley"!
This winery is situated in a cave, which makes the wine tasting experience a little different, but pretty cool. Everyone was really nice. Like a lot of wineries, they charge $10 for a tasting fee, but at Bella you get to do much more than just sampling wine. The tasting tour began with the pairing of a Rosé with some portuguese sausage and some friend plantains. You then proceed to the wine caves, which were filled with live Spanish guitar music.
The Irving family immigrated to the United States from Nova Scotia. Grandfather John Irving worked in the Comstock Lode silver mines near Virginia City, Nevada before moving to Jackson, California to mine gold. In 1890, they acquired an 84 acre ranch east of Placerville. It was known as the four mile ranch because it straddled the main road east, formerly the route of the Pony Express. An existing house on the property was present at the time of their acquisition and is listed on the county tax rolls from 1885.After years of clean up and restoration, the ranch has become one of the show places in the Apple Hill area. The property has approximately 16 acres of wine grapes, as well as, peaches and eight varieties of apples farmed by a local retail fruit operation.
Tyler and Trevor Grace, fourth great-grandsons of Lewis Grace, have established themselves as skilled winemakers through years of education and hands-on experience.
Tyler began his journey with an Earth Science degree from Dartmouth, but after a brief period as a field geologist, he pivoted toward winemaking, earning a degree in enology and viticulture from Fresno State. His global experience started with a year of travel, working at notable wineries such as Heitz Cellars in Napa and in Coonawarra, Australia. This "endless harvest" gave Tyler invaluable opportunities to work under expert winemakers during wine's most crucial stages of development.
Returning to California, Tyler deepened his skills as an enologist at Quail Ridge Winery in Rutherford, followed by a role as assistant winemaker at Bell Cellars in Yountville. There, he specialized in Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, while gaining experience with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Viognier. In 2007, Tyler arrived in El Dorado County to help establish the family vineyard and winery. His exposure to both traditional winemaking and hand-tended boutique wine production has shaped his current winemaking philosophy. Today, Tyler focuses exclusively on Lewis Grace wines, combining his Napa Valley expertise with Sierra Foothills practices to create high-quality, boutique wines.
Trevor Grace, holding a master's degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis, brings 15 years of winemaking experience in El Dorado and Amador County. Trevor has worked with over thirty grape varieties, honing his craft with an emphasis on high-elevation winemaking, a key aspect of his family’s vineyard. His ongoing mastery of these subtleties complements Tyler’s experience, together producing exceptional wines under the Grace family name.
