"The best way to get to know an AVA is up close and personal. Take a vineyard walk on foot or horseback. Ride in a UTV and look at the color and texture of the ground. Is it rocky? Pebbly? Dusty? Notice the slant of light over the hills at wine o’clock. Try a terroir-focused experience at a tasting room in Healdsburg or downtown Napa..."

My profile of winemaker Jesse Katz traces his early fascination with place—from Burgundy vineyards to Sonoma soil—into an exacting approach that has made him one of California’s most decorated young vintners.

"The Reguscis are inheritors first and foremost of memories from a time when agriculture in the valley was more diverse, livestock plentiful and the community smaller and cohesive."

On an oak-dotted Napa hillside that has been in their family for four generations, brother-and-sister Jeffrey and Caroline Shifflett are infusing fresh energy into Hunter Glenn winery—hands-on from vine to barrel, crafting rich Bordeaux varietals that honor their deep roots.

"I arrived about 4pm, as the sun was beginning to throw the façade into silhouette. The French Empire stone house is gated for privacy and one enters via a gravel courtyard..."