Custom vintner Napa Wine Company and related brand Ghost Block Estate Wines hired Priyanka Dhar French as director of winemaking. French has had a long commitment to sustainability and had overseen the rebuilding of Signorello Estate that was destroyed by the 2017 wildfires.
Custom vintner Napa Wine Company and Ghost Block Estate Wines have named Priyanka Dhar French as director of winemaking and winemaker, respectively.
Andrew Hoxsey, managing partner of both Napa Wine Company and Ghost Block, said in the May 15 announcement that French’s “deep technical expertise, luxury winemaking experience, and a visionary mindset” are instrumental to the continued growth of both ventures.
French previously was winemaker at Signorello Estate, where she led the winery’s recovery after its destruction in the 2017 Atlas Fire. As reported by North Bay Business Journal in April 2023, she directed the construction of a new 20,000-square-foot winery and 18,000-square-foot caves at the 100-acre estate while refining Signorello’s signature wines.
The redesigned winery reopened in June of last year. Michael Costley is Signorello’s winemaker.
Born and raised in Mumbai, French discovered winemaking through a college visit to Sula Vineyards, where she had what she described to the Journal as love at first sight. That experience led her to pursue a master’s degree in viticulture and enology at UC Davis. According to the Journal, she later gained harvest experience in Bordeaux, New Zealand, and Napa before advancing through winemaking roles at Dalla Valle Vineyards and Stags’ Leap Winery.
At Napa Wine Company — one of Napa Valley’s early custom-crush facilities — French will oversee winemaking and production. At Ghost Block, she will focus on single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc from estate vineyards in Oakville and Yountville.
“I’m honored to join Napa Wine Company with its rich history as an incubator for some of the great brands of Napa, including Pahlmeyer, Schrader and Pine Ridge and to reignite that energy for the next generation of Napa winemakers…,” French said in the news release.
French is also known for her commitment to sustainability and inclusion. She serves on the board of directors for Wine Unify and is mentorship program director for Bâtonnage, a wine industry advocacy group.
Hoxsey started Napa Wine Company in 1993. The family operation includes 600 acres of certified organic vineyards and three estate wine brands: Ghost Block, Oakville Winery and Elizabeth Rose. French will lead the winemaking team as the company continues to build on its legacy of quality and innovation.