Trinchero Family Estates (“TFE”) is wholly owned and operated by the Trinchero family, Napa Valley vintners since 1948. Over the years, the company expanded its portfolio by purchasing a magnitude of wineries including Terra d’Oro Winery in Amador County in 1988, Napa Valley’s Folie á Deux Winery in 2004 and Napa Cellars in 2006. In 2009, the family completed building Trinchero Napa Valley winery and hospitality center, located in northern St. Helena, California.
We are a full service winegrape merchant working with wineries to locate, procure, and inspect winegrapes from all over California. We work with growers to market and sell their winegrapes.
This is a reallly pretty winery and lovely italian castle/mansion looking architecture, and really friendly staff and of course lots of cool racing pics all around and other art also.
Bob and Sylvia Pestoni
In the mid-1990s, Bob and his wife Sylvia were presented with a rare opportunity. A small winery adjacent to their family´s Rutherford property had become available for purchase. Over the years, Bob and Sylvia had always grown grapes on their land, but they had always sold their fruit to other wine producers. They hadn´t been interested in becoming vintners before, but the acquisition of this new property renewed Bob´s admiration for his family´s business – and for his heritage. In 1994, they opened the doors to Rutherford Grove Winery and resumed making the single vineyard, hand-crafted artisanal wines Bob´s father and grandfather had created there for more than a century before him. In 2017, in celebration of their 125th anniversary of Napa Valley winemaking, the winery was renamed Pestoni Family Estate Winery.
A 12,000 Sq ft world class facility, is perched on a hillside and has spectacular veiws of the nerby vineyards of the Sierra Foothills. Using the natural terrain, the architectural design of the winery was constructed on 2 plateaus, thus creating, "gravity feed" as part of the winemaking process. This facility, which features 2 art galleries, is built to enable the winey to produce a maximum of 16,000 cases annually.
Story Winery
Since its founding in 1973, Story Winery has been dedicated to producing small-lot, vineyard-designate wines that authentically express the land from which they originate. Primarily utilizing estate-grown grapes, the winery strives to create wines that not only represent their terroir but also cellar well while being enjoyable in their youth.
The winery’s tasting room and picnic grounds are open daily, offering visitors a chance to experience great wine, find the perfect picnic spot, or simply enjoy a peaceful moment in nature. Guests are invited to discover the renowned estate vineyards, which include 130-year-old Zinfandel and Mission vines, as well as award-winning Italian and Georgian varietals. The friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand to guide visitors through various tasting options while sharing stories about the wines, vineyards, and the events that have shaped the winery’s 120-year history.
The Team
Winemaking
Rob Campbell & Thomas Allan
Winemaker Rob Campbell, a fourth-generation San Franciscan, grew up in San Francisco and nearby Daly City. He ventured just 30 miles away to attend San Jose State University, where he studied Jazz. Rob earned a BA in Jazz Studies and a master’s degree in saxophone performance. Realizing that a musician’s income would struggle to sustain him in San Francisco, he leveraged his computer skills while completing his studies. Rob worked at Hewlett-Packard, Apple, and later at Digidesign (now part of Avid Technologies) during the early 1990s. Over a decade, he climbed the ranks to become Hardware Product Manager of digital audio workstations. He then transitioned into a consulting role for Avid’s worldwide training organization as an author, lecturer, and Master Trainer. After extensive global travel, Rob chose to settle back in San Francisco to manage One Union Recording, a premier post-production audio facility. It was during this period that he took over management and operations at Story Winery.
WinemakerThomas Allan, originally from Santa Barbara, has built a diverse career in the restaurant industry, serving as an owner, server, and sommelier. He also worked in high-end retail bottle shops in Santa Barbara before relocating to Amador County in 2000. Thomas was the original Sommelier at Taste Restaurant before moving to Bray Vineyards. In 2016, he established his own label, Fate Wines, which he continues to manage alongside his work at Story Winery, where he joined the winemaking team in 2018.
Image courtesy photographer Randy Caparosos
This place is tiny and quaint. The wine room has a sign to knock on the door of the house. No need, Joe has already spotted us and beaming, walks over to let us in.He is warm, amazing host. Asks about your background, shares about his family. After we try many wines, he gets a twinkle in his eye, and reaches into the fridge, retrieves a unmarked bottle, pours a taste. Its sweet, bright, and dissolves yummily on the tongue. He seems surprised I can't place it...its homemade limoncello. However its made from home made grappa, not vodka, for the infusion liquor. Wow.
Porter Creek Vineyards began its journey in 1978 when founder George R. Davis acquired the estate, which included young Pinot Noir vines, some of which continue to produce today at 45 years old. Davis initially focused on enhancing the existing vineyards before planting the remaining available acreage. By 1982, he had successfully secured one of the property's old barns for wine production, marking a pivotal moment for Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley.
In 1983, the Russian River Valley was officially designated as an American Viticultural Area (AVA), a period when only a few were investing in Pinot Noir. Despite the prevailing skepticism about Pinot Noir’s potential in the region, with his banker and farm advisor urging him to plant more Chardonnay instead, Davis remained committed to his vision.
Primarily a self-taught winemaker, George Davis was a voracious reader, immersing himself in literature on winemaking techniques and Burgundian winegrower philosophies. He engaged in numerous discussions with local winemakers and rented part of his winery to others, gaining invaluable insights and experience from these interactions.
Cesare and Rosa Mondavi moved to the Napa Valley and purchased the Charles Krug Winery in 1943. Winemaking was an important part of their Italian heritage and together with their sons Robert and Peter, they created CK Mondavi – a line of wines offering both tremendous quality and value. CK Mondavi began with a vision and commitment to produce high quality wines worthy of gracing the tables of families across America. Seventy years later, this vision continues.
Good wines, friendly owners, fun animals. A field full of alpacas greets you as you enter Oso Libre. The husband and wife owners were absolute gems, but let's face it, unfriendly people simply don't own alpacas. They shared a lot of interesting info about the winery and animals which made for an entertaining conversation. The wines were tasty and the term “wine farm” setting of Oso Libre is a great experience.
