Jack and Dolores established Cakebread Cellars in 1973.
Cakebread Cellars
There was a time when romantic partners’ occupations often couldn’t be more opposite from one another. Today, however, professional and love lives seem to go hand in hand, from social media couples traveling the globe to husband-and-wife duos in wine country. Take it from these eight couple-owned wine brands out of California—all of which credit their respective love stories as a key pillar in the winery’s legacy.
Read on to explore eight California wine brands based on epic love stories, and to discover more about the latest news and releases defining their modern success.
Clos Solène
French natives, Guillaume and Solène Fabre opened Clos Solène in Paso Robles in 2007. Having mutually grown up around wine—Guillaume from the Languedoc and Solène from Bordeaux—it was their first foray into American viticulture. Today, they are co-owners and Guillaume is the winemaker across their portfolio of wines, including his favorite (and secret) “Mon Millésime” that’s only offered to members, as well as Solène’s preferred “L’Insolent,” a Bordeaux-inspired blend in left bank style.
News: Clos Solène just broke ground on a 19,000-square-foot underground cellar designed by the renowned Signum Architecture firm. The new cellar will include wine caves, a member lounge and individual tasting suites that are designed to elevate tasting experiences for both wine members and new visitors.
Barnett Vineyards
Fiona and Hal Barnett’s love spans over 40 years, as does their business, Barnett Vineyards. It all started in 1983, when the couple purchased a forested property atop Spring Mountain. Their backgrounds weren’t in wine, but their futures certainly were as they committed to a hands-on approach to running the winery that’s helped shape the region’s reputation for highly expressive mountain cabernet sauvignon.
News: The winery officially became multi-generational last year as the Barnett’s daughter, Stephanie, joined the team post-college. Barnett Vineyards may have began as a passion project, but now it produces 10 distinct wines—including chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, merlot and their signature Rattlesnake cabernet sauvignon.
Fiona and Hal Barnett
Barnett Vineyards
Newfound Wines
Since founding their 40-acre ranch, vineyard and winery in California’s Sierra Foothills in 2016, Newfound Wines’ husband-wife duo Matt and Audra Naumann have earned recognition for their Grenache. The couple’s commitment to preserving agriculture and nature-led approach to farming across their seven estate vineyards historically saw high quality production of single-varietal wines, but this year, they’re releasing something new.
News: This month, Newfound Wines is releasing its inaugural varietal blend, a grenache, syrah and mourvedre composed of fruit all grown at Maus Vineyard in the Moon Mountain District of Sonoma. The 2023 Newfound Wines mourvedre, grenache and syrah will retail for $55.
Palisades Canyon
Felicia Woytak and Steven Rasmussen are proprietors of the newly launched Palisades Canyon. The couple has been visiting Napa Valley wineries since 1981 and have lived on the Palisades Vineyard since 2015, but it wasn’t until last fall that they released their first bottlings, a trio of wines crafted by fourth-generation winemaker Graeme MacDonald. Of the wines released—2021 chenin blanc, 2021 petite sirah and 2021 cabernet sauvignon—their 60 cases of Chenin Blanc sold out in two minutes.
News: Just five months after their October 2024 launch, Palisades Canyon is gearing up for the release of their 2022 chenin blanc and more 2021 petite sirah in March.
Cornell Vineyards
Vanessa and Henry Cornell’s love story is entangled with their Cornell Vineyards’ legacy, as their engagement took place under the eponymous “Courtship tree” that ultimately became the name of one of their flagship wines. Cornell purchased the rugged plot in the Mayacamas Range back in 2000, and together they’ve been dedicated to redeveloping the land to its potential—growing premium fruit across 20 acres. Now, they’re most revered for their mountain estate cabernet sauvignon.
News: In addition to the Cornells’ 25th anniversary as stewards of their Sonoma estate, the winery will release its 2022 Courtship cabernet sauvignon in March (SRP $95).
Winemaker Blair Guthrie (left) and CEO Caroline Stewart Guthrie (right) of Stewart Cellars.
Stewart Cellars
Stewart Cellars
Caroline Stewart Guthrie and Blair Guthrie, respectively Stewart Cellars’ CEO and winemaker, met while working at Paul Hobbs’ Crossbarn early in their wine careers. They are now part of the second generation of the family-owned and operated Stewart Cellars, which has been focused on bottling Napa and Sonoma’s heritage vines since its inception in 2000.
News: Stewart Cellars is rolling out its first-ever estate wines from the historic Montecillo Vineyard on Sonoma’s Moon Mountain, including the 2022 Stewart Cellars NOMAD Montecillo Vineyard cabernet sauvignon, which comprises fruit from original cabernet sauvignon vines dating back to 1964.
Cakebread Cellars
Cakebread Cellars’ iconic husband-wife founders, Jack and Dolores Cakebread, may no longer be with us, but their legacy certainly remains, with their sons at the helm of the winery built on their love story. Jack and Dolores established Cakebread Cellars in 1973 and became revered for their passion not only in the vineyards but in the tasting experience: They pioneered a culinary-forward approach to hospitality that’s now become the norm in Napa.
News: Winemaker Niki Williams joined the Cakebread Cellars team in 2023 and her first red wine was released at the end of 2024. Her 2023 Two Creeks Pinot Noir (SRP $61) marked the beginning of a new vision to expand the winery’s Pinot Noir program, built on the same dedication Jack and Dolores committed to Cakebread in its early founding.
California, Napa Valley, Rutherford Cakebread Cellars, vineyard worker Filling Barrels. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Pestoni Family Estate Winery
Founded in 1892, Pestoni Family Estate Winery is currently led by fourth-generation Aimee and Greg Pestoni. Throughout its legacy, the estate’s always remained committed to single-vineyard wines that reflect the regional expression and unique character of each varietal grown at its estate vineyards, from petite sirah and zinfandel at Quackenbush Mountain Vineyard to sauvignon blanc at Pestoni Ranch.
News: Last year, the Pestoni Family Estate Winery welcomed new winemaker Jeremiah Moore and consulting winemaker Aaron Pott to the team. This spring, Pestoni will reveal their new tasting room and picnic pavilion.
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