By Rob Costantino
Santé Managing Editor

Napa Valley's rich wine history began in 1838 when George Yount planted cuttings of Mission grapes on a small section of his expansive tract. But Charles Krug might be considered Napa's first man of wine. He made Yount's wine and, in 1861, his first Napa wine under his own name. In A Companion to California Wine, noted wine historian Charles Sullivan writes of Krug, "He is remembered today for his great estate and its wines, but his friends, neighbors, and associates in the industry knew and loved him for qualities not measured in gallons or acres. He was the conscience of his winemaking community, a pillar of constant integrity, and a steady voice in favor of higher standards and better quality." Krug embodied a way to conduct business that took hold in the many Napa family wineries that followed. Some of the great Napa wineries that thrived as family businesses—Beaulieu Vineyard, Beringer, Inglenook, and Larkmead, to name four—eventually passed from family control, and three of Napa's iconic wineries that were established during the region's modern era—Robert Mondavi Winery, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, and Duckhorn Vineyards—are no longer family operations. But for every Napa Valley winery that is no longer family-run, there are many more that remain in family hands or have recently been established as family-owned and family-operated enterprises. All have a compelling story to tell about their business and their wines. Santé presents thumbnail sketches of six Napa family wineries that operate as Charles Krug once did—with a special blend of pluck, talent, hospitality, and vision.

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