Napa Cellars

Napa Cellars: The Embodiment of Approachable Napa Excellence

Napa Cellars was there back in 1976, when Napa Valley was a place of quiet promise, before the big names and curious crowds. Our passionate founders saw something special in these hillsides, a magic beyond the grapes. That’s when we laid the foundation for Napa Cellars. And we’ve never forgotten why we started: to capture the authentic Napa spirit in every wine we make.

Things have changed over the decades, but one thing hasn’t – our commitment to exceptional wine and sharing this place we love. Our dedication shines through in our predominantly single-varietal wines, showcasing the true flavors and unique characteristics of Napa’s renowned grapes. Every sip reveals the care we take in sourcing fruit from our estate vineyards and trusted grower partners and the expertise of our winemaker, Joe Shirley, who has given life and character to our wines for nearly two decades.

At Napa Cellars, we’re proud to be the bridge between Napa’s storied past and your everyday enjoyment. We offer more than just great wine. We offer a taste of heritage, a sense of belonging, and an authentic Napa experience – without the velvet rope. We believe it’s about enjoying wine the way you want and you’re always welcome at our table. This is your Napa.

We craft Napa Cellars wines from our estate, sustainably farmed vineyards, as well as those of our esteemed partner growers, who share our meticulous dedication to the coveted terroir of Napa Valley and the surrounding regions.

Vista Montone Vineyards

Planted in 1999 and located in the southernmost portion of Napa Valley, our sustainably farmed Vista Monte Vineyard provides fruit for our Napa Cellars Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Vista Montone, meaning view of the sheep, is primarily comprised of deep, well-drained Fagan Clay Loam soils and a diverse collection of the best Pinot Noir clones.

Main St. Vineyard

Established Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted in 1989 and 1997 provide St. Helena appellated fruit for our Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. This sustainably farmed and certified Fish Farming Friendly valley floor vineyard is predominantly Pleasanton series soils providing a fine, loamy, gravelly soil that is quite fertile.

Salvador Vineyard

Located in the Oak Knoll AVA, north of downtown Napa, our sustainably farmed Salvador Vineyard provides a diverse selection of Cabernet Sauvignon clones. Largely comprised of loamy soils which are typical of the Napa Valley floor, this vineyard gives these young vines what they need to provide excellent fruit for our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Joe Shirley, Winemaker

Despite growing up in Napa Valley, winemaker Joe Shirley didn’t know much about wine until, as a young man, he crossed paths with an influential wine buyer in England. When Joe returned home to Napa, having tasted some of the finest bottlings in the world, he viewed the vineyards through an entirely different lens.

Had he not discovered his passion for wine, Joe might have led a completely different life. But the life he was meant to live exists at the intersection of scientific precision and passionate artistry. It exists in the vineyard, in the cellar and, ultimately, in the glass, where a sense of place—and his expression of that place—comes to life. For Joe, wine is deeply personal.

“In its purest form, wine is a reflection of our relationship to the natural world,” explains Joe. “We craft these wines to illuminate that world—the texture of the soil, the path of the roots, the slope of a specific hill, the aroma of a particular grape. Every sip is intended to evoke what is unmatched by any other place, what is indisputably Napa Valley in its tone and tenor.”

A graduate of the world-renowned master’s program in enology at the University of California at Davis, Joe has nearly 20 harvests behind him. In 2006, he became head winemaker at Napa Cellars, where he takes a decidedly minimalist approach, letting the vineyards and the grapes speak for themselves.

“I don’t try to put a big winemaker signature on my wines,” Joe says. “The terroir of the vineyards here is so distinct, so extraordinary; I simply guide the wine toward the purest interpretation of the land.”

The result is a collection of wines that offers the ultimate expression of Napa Valley, through the lens of Joe Shirley.