Our Vintners

AJ Pearce

Andrew J. Renda and Jarred Pearce founded AJ Pearce Wines in 2007. 

15 harvests later, AJ Pearce is producing some of the finest wines in the Napa Valley.  Their favored appellation continues to be the Coombsville region, southeast of the city of Napa. 

They prefer Coombsville because of its longer growing season, cooler climate, slower maturation and even ripening — the perfect combination for producing balanced wines.
 
AJ Pearce continues, year after year, to investigate new vineyards in pursuit of creating superb wines.  Rest assured that Andy and Jarred’s attention to every aspect of viticulture, refined by decades of experience, will always result in wines crafted with pride and passion.

Brace and Bit

Todd Richter, owner of Brace and Bit Wines, is a master artisan cabinetmaker.

That same mind for craftsmanship is applied to his wines, with an unrelenting dedication to quality.

Brace and Bit brings a new energy to the table with varietals we don’t see enough of, such as vineyard designate Petite Sirah, Barbera, and Roussanne.

Buoncristani

A band of brothers, Matt, Jason, and Nathan.

As young children, the brothers worked alongside their father (an educator and principal by trade) after school and on weekends in their backyard vineyard, and other small vineyards they tended for friends.

Wine production as a hobby in the family garage commenced, and so a tradition was born of sharing wine with family and friends which continued every fall.

These early hands-on experiences reinforced in each of the brothers a desire to pursue opportunities that would enable them to produce wines of the best quality possible.

Cobden Wini

Mark Davis grew up in Maryland. After graduating from UMD with a degree in chemical engineering, he developed a passion for garage winemaking. His love of fermentation science brought him to California to see how real winemakers operate.

Mark applied to the UC Davis viticulture and enology program. Graduating with high honors and receiving the honorary citation for outstanding achievement in viticulture and enology in 2010.

After several vintages across northern California, Australia and South Africa, he was able to start his own label, thus Cobden Wini Wines was born.

For 10 years, Mark was also the winemaker at O’Brien Estate winery in Oak Knoll, before stepping aside to focus on Cobden Wini.

Correlation

A Spring Mountain winery producing some of the most delicious and age worthy wines in the Valley.

Correlation is vinted and operated by Wesley Steffens and Martha McClellan.

Martha McClellan, who’s been making wine since 1985, spent years as the lead winemaker for the likes of Harlan, Merryvale, Checkerboard, and Sloan Estate.

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, and 2 years under Thomas Keller at The French Laundry, Wes spent four years as a member of the winemaking team at Harlan Estate and BOND Estates wineries.

Wes’ journey then led him up Spring Mountain to take the reins at his family’s winery, Vineyard 7 & 8 Estate.

Martha joined the Steffens family as winemaker of Vineyard 7 & 8 Estate in 2014, and has since helped Wes follow a vision of crafting Correlation Wines from some incredible vineyards on and around Spring Mountain.

Purlieu & LePich

Growing up on his family’s estate in Provence, Julien Fayard has been making wine since he was 15 years old (including winemaking gigs at Chateau Lafite Rothschild, and Smith Haut Lafitte).

Julien has established himself as one of Napa Valley’s most respected winemakers; producing California varietals with French finesse.

He believes in producing wines with an identity, exploiting what makes each one unique. Julien’s wines are a pure expression of their terroir, highlighting the specificities and characteristics of the fruit, vineyard management, soil and climate.

His skills are showcased to their fullest in Purlieu; working exclusively with the most sought after fruit in the Valley (Beckstoffer vineyards and beyond) to produce age-worthy Cabernets of incredible depth and structure.

Second Line Wines

Second Line Wines is owned and operated by Chris Agan and Patrice “TC” Whelan who have been longtime partners and lovers of the Napa Valley and the wines produced here. They also share a love for the city of New Orleans so chose the brand name Second Line Wines to honor the Crescent City.  In New Orleans, a Second Line is a parade that is used for a number of celebratory occasions.

  After completing careers in the US Navy and Aerospace business, Chris retired, and he and TC moved to Napa to start a new life in the wine business.  After completing a certificate program in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis and a harvest internship at Joseph Phelps, Chris started making Second Line Wines in 2017 with only a few barrels while working for Mike Hirby at Relic Cellars.  With TC’s help and guidance on the compliance and marketing side along with her excellent palate for blending, they have steadily grown Second Line Wines into an 800 case per year boutique winery.

 They share a passion for many different types of wine, from Spanish to Rhône blends, to Bordeaux varietals, and craft a number of small lot wines in these styles.