Known for 400+ wineries, mom-and-pop delis and million-dollar vineyards, Napa’s Highway 29 is the road to America’s most famous wines. But every winemaker takes a different exit.
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Right now, the October air is sweet, and Valley roads are covered in bouncing truckloads of grapes, ready to go from vine to tank. The breeze is spiced – tinged with the smell of new wine – and cellar teams are high-fiving everywhere at harvest parties deemed Michelin-worthy.
Man, we love Napa crush.
It seemed like the perfect fall moment to settle in for a good set of stories – so we asked Naked’s winemakers to recount their own memories about the wine capital of America. These are a few of the Napa moments that shaped them into the independent icons they are today.
- Napa Talk with Scott KelleyScott reveals his long love affair with Napa’s forgotten first grape — Pinot Noir.
- Napa Talk with Ana Diogo-DraperTo break the Cabernet mold, Ana’s the woman for the job.
- Napa Talk with Alex FarberNapa paved the way for Alex’s Best in Class Chenin Blanc.
- Napa Talk with Matt ParishMatt Parish recalls the first wine he ever made.
- Napa Talk with Rudy von StrasserRudy Von Strasser shares the moment he uncovered Napa Diamonds.
- Napa Talk with Matt ParishMatt wants you to know about Coombsville.
- Napa Talk with Scott PetersonHow Scott shook up Oakville – by rolling in whiskey barrels.
- Napa Talk with Nova CadamatreNova takes red-eyes to make wines in Napa and the Finger Lakes.
- Napa Talk with Franc DusakFranc remembers that one time he worked for a Valley billionaire.
- Napa Talk with Camille BenitahFrom Bordeaux to Napa, Camille has mastered both wine worlds.
- Napa Talk with Jim DuaneWinemaker Jim Duane is giving you the dirt on Napa.
“Napa has a tremendous level of talent and hustle.”
– Jim Duane
“Cabernet is King in both Bordeaux and Napa – but it can’t be tamed the same way in each place.”
– Camille Benitah
“Of all the regions I’ve made wines in over the years, Napa Valley is where I feel most at home.”
-Matt Parish
Read more Naked News:
- Napa Talk with Scott Kelley
- Napa Talk with Ana Diogo-Draper
- Napa Talk with Alex Farber
- Napa Talk with Matt Parish
- Napa Talk with Rudy von Strasser
- Napa Talk with Matt Parish
- Napa Talk with Scott Peterson
- Napa Talk with Nova Cadamatre
- Napa Talk with Franc Dusak
- Napa Talk with Camille Benitah
- Napa Talk with Jim Duane
- Making a Wine of the Year
- For Daryl Groom, Sonoma is “a little piece of wine heaven.”
- Montse Reece moved 5,912 miles from home – for this Sonoma estate
- Derek Rohlffs goes where old Zinfandel is king – Dry Creek Valley
- The day Scott arrived, Sonoma wine changed forever
- Watch now: Scott’s Sonoma feature by The New Yorker
- Get Your Final Tasting Notes!