The turning point for Vic Bourassa, owner and proprietor of Bourassa Vineyards in the Napa Valley, really occurred over a lunch he had in 1999 with the godfather of California wine, Robert Mondavi. By that time Bourassa, who had moved to the Valley permanently three years before and had entered a second professional career in real estate development, was already a committed home winemaker. The chance to talk wine about the wine business with one of the most influential winery figures in the world was to be savored and appreciated.

Located approximately 40 miles northeast of San Francisco, the Carneros Region’s moderate climate is created by fog, moist air, and cool breezes from the Pacific Ocean. Protected from harsh weather by the Coastal Range, Carneros summer days are warm with cool nights and winters are mild. As a result, grapes stay on the vine longer, reaching high acidity and full flavor development. At Ceja Vineyards, we match vines to terroir, planting each variety where it grows best. Our wines are a true reflection of their origins.

We are very proud to be a family owned and managed winery. Our father, Jay Corley, came to Napa Valley in 1969 seeking land to plant and grow an estate vineyard. Thirty-five plus years later, sons Kevin, Chris and Stephen manage the winery: Kevin is our Winegrower and President, Chris is our Winemaker, and Stephen is our Director of Wine Sales. We are a small winery producing approximately 15,000 cases of wine annually designated MONTICELLO VINEYARDS, CORLEY RESERVE and CORLEY.

Ray Signorello Jr. began his journey as winemaker and vineyard owner in the Napa Valley during the mid 1980's. Ray, born in San Francisco, California, moved to Vancouver, Canada where the Signorello family continues to maintain a home. Ray divides his time between Napa, San Francisco, Vancouver and business related travel. Ray's father, Ray Sr., initiated the vineyard project during the mid 1970's by purchasing the 100-acre estate located on the Silverado Trail in the beautiful Napa Valley. Ray Sr. worked side by side with Ray Jr., establishing the winery's reputation for excellence until his passing in the fall of 1998.

The Sodaro Family’s Estate Vineyard and Winery is located in the world-famous Napa Valley, California. Sodaro Estate Winery offers the opportunity to truly experience wines that are of a place. Bringing together some of the most experienced and trusted minds in wine making and vineyard management, founder Donald Sodaro and his world-class team have meticulously developed a vineyard of unparalleled diversity and constructed a winery to suit the complexities of the vineyard, resulting in wines that ultimately reflect the stunning beauty and individuality of this estate.

Constructed in 1886 by a Scottish sea captain, Hamden McIntyre, our winery was originally known as Eshcol. McIntyre designed it as a gravity-flow system: a horse-drawn winch brought grapes to the third floor of the three-story structure for crushing; gravity carried the juice to the second floor for fermenting; and, eventually, the wine descended to the first floor for aging. Eshcol was among a number of wineries McIntyre designed during this period; the others were Greystone (now The Culinary Institute of America), Far Niente and Inglenook.

Beginning in September and lasting throughout most of October, ZD's Chardonnay grapes are hand harvested and brought quickly to the winery, where they are crushed and pressed. Each vineyard lot is maintained separately. The juice is then cooled and put into 50-gallon oak barrels for its 100% barrel fermentation. Due to the cool temperature in ZD's cellars, the fermentation lasts about 6-8 weeks, whereas most barrel fermentations last about 3-6 days. This very slow, cool, fermentation is extremely important to the quality of ZD Chardonnay. It maintains the fruit and gives the wine a creamy, toasty character that is brought about from extended contact with the yeast as it is suspended in the fermenting wine. This cool temperature also inhibits a secondary (malo-lactic) fermentation, allowing ZD Chardonnay to maintain its natural acidity.