Premiere Napa Valley Live Auction

Michael Baldacci

Winemaker, Baldacci Family Vineyards

Michael Baldacci
Winemaker
Baldacci Family Vineyards

Exceptional quality wine all begins with a passion. "My passion is one rooted in family," Michael says, "a passion to produce honest wines that best embody my family's love for great wine and the unique estate vineyards that Baldacci represents."

Though he was born and raised in the Bay Area, Michael Baldacci spent many days as a young boy walking his family's vineyards.
Struck early on by the delicacy with which man and nature must work together to make beautiful wines, Michael returned to Napa Valley as an adult to become part of the team at Baldacci Family Vineyards.

New to the business but a veteran of the land, Michael took on a managerial role at the winery after four years of undergraduate study in Los Angeles with the same goal his father had had nearly twelve years before: to make wines that represent the character of the land, the grapes, and the family Baldacci represents.

A boutique winery, with their first vintage in 2000, Baldacci Family Vineyards focuses strictly on single-vineyard wines. The total estate owned acreage includes the original 17-acre estate in the heart of the Stags Leap District, as well as a 20-acre property in Carneros. The newest addition to the estate vineyard portfolio is an 8.5-acre property in Calistoga, a warmer micro-climate of Napa Valley whose lush fruit perfectly complements the Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap. Total production approaches 8,000 cases each year, nearly all of which are single-vineyard, single-varietal wines expressing their respective terroirs.

Michael can be found all around the winery, from the cellar to the tasting room, behind a desk or in the vineyards he first walked in as a child. "The Stags Leap District is an iconic area of Napa," he believes, "and our family's wines strive to show each and every consumer why it is truly the best area in the world to grow world class Cabernet."

Country born: United States

Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years

Elizabeth Vianna

Winemaker, Chimney Rock Winery

A native of São Paulo, Elizabeth Vianna spent her early years on a bi-cultural journey moving from Brazil to the United States and back again several times. Elizabeth attributes her career in winemaking to a glass of 1985 Sociando Mallet, which she enjoyed at a pre-auction tasting at Christie’s in New York. A biology major at Vassar College, Elizabeth was originally on the pre-medical school track. She fell in love with wine while living in New York City where she worked as a clinical toxicologist at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Her strong science background and sudden infatuation with wine propelled her to apply to the University of California, Davis and its renowned winemaking program instead of medical school.

Vianna first became familiar with the Chimney Rock winemaking program in 1999, working as a harvest intern while completing her Master’s degree in enology at U.C. Davis. Upon graduation, she became a Lab Director at Napa Wine Company and was soon named Assistant Winemaker working directly with many of the region’s top winemakers including mentors Celia Welch, Erin Green and Heidi Barrett. Vianna was named to the position of Assistant Winemaker at Chimney Rock in January 2002, and advanced to the position of Head Winemaker in April 2005. In 2011 she was promoted to General Manager of Chimney Rock and she continues in her role as Head Winemaker at the Stags Leap District estate winery. During her tenure at Chimney Rock, she has consistently produced wines that have been highly rated among critics and highly valued among consumers. A staunch advocate for sustainability and the legacy of the Napa Valley, she has long served as board member and twice as President of the Stags Leap District Winegrowers Association. She serves as a board member of the Napa Valley Vintners. She is also a member of the inaugural cohort of the 2021 Napa Valley Vintners Leadership Program . As one of the few Latina winemakers in Napa Valley she is a strong advocate for women and minorities in the wine industry and formalized her mentorship with Batonnage, a non-profit organization in 2023 When she is not walking vineyards or making wine, you will find her immersed in music or hiking with her husband and Labrador Molly somewhere in the Bay Area.

Country born: Brazil

Education: Masters degree in enology U.C. Davis

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Honors / Awards:
Commencement speaker, University of California-Davis School of Graduate Studies, 2009

Winemaking Philosophy:
My goal is to create wines with great texture and to have those wines represent the vineyards from which they are born. The tactile experience is just as important as the aroma and flavor. More specifically, my goal as winemaker at Chimney Rock is to highlight and honor the strengths of the amazing Cabernet we grow in Stags Leap District.

Josh Widaman

Winemaker, Pine Ridge Vineyards

Josh’s path to winemaking started after working the 1999 vintage at Stags' Leap Winery. During his first harvest spreading stems in the vineyards by moonlight, he tasted a 1997 Pahlmeyer Merlot that left him inspired to create wines that leave a similar lasting impression on those lucky enough to experience them. The combination of hands-on vineyard work and the incredible fruits of a winemaker’s labor sealed his desire to enter the wine world. He transferred to UC Davis where he graduated in 2002 with a BS in Viticulture and Enology, and a minor in Applied Biological Systems Technology. In 2019, he received his MBA from Sonoma State University to better support a well-rounded understanding of the wine business.

Josh spent the first six years of his career working his way up to Assistant Winemaker at Chimney Rock Winery before transitioning to Assistant Winemaker and eventually Head Winemaker at Pahlmeyer. Additional past experience includes harvest internships with Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma and Viña Tarapacá in Chile. In addition, his time spent overseas in the Douro, Burgundy, Greece and Germany have increased the breadth of his winemaking horizons.

“My path to winemaking started with a wine that left a lasting impression, that I use as inspiration in every wine I create,” Josh emphasizes. “Coming back to the Stags Leap District where it all began for me, and to the iconic steep-walled valley at Pine Ridge Vineyards, gives me a newfound sense of determination to produce some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon wines that Napa Valley and the world have to offer.”

Country born: United States

Education: Sonoma State University
Master of Business Administration

University of California, Davis
BS in Viticulture & Enology, Minor in Applied Biological Systems Technology

Foreign Study: Burgundy, The Douro, Germany, Chile and Greece

Mentors: Elizabeth Vianna, Winemaker and General Manager at Chimney Rock Winery and Erin Green, Consulting Winemaker at Martinelli Vineyards & Winery

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Honors / Awards:
Wine Spectator #1 Wine of the Year
90+ ratings on over 90% of all wines made in career

Winemaking Philosophy:
“We’re constantly experimenting in the vineyard, the cellar and the tasting lab...” Being on the cutting-edge can sometimes mean going back to Old World traditions, “but we never rest on assumptions,” he says. “The decisions we make are based on fractions of percents of variances in each blend - minute changes that can make a huge difference in the wine’s profile. Meticulous attention to these, and making sure we taste every possible iteration is what sets us apart.”

“Winemaking is a huge, long, intricate equation - years in the making,” says Josh, sharing a glimpse into the intricate workings of this winemaker’s brain. “Any single decision can take things in an entirely different direction,” he says. “The palate is the ultimate driver. That’s the artistry of winemaking.”

Robert  Smith

Winemaker, Quixote Winery

Growing up in Modesto, California, Robert constantly sets himself apart from expectations. His first job as a research intern at Gallo piqued his interest in fermentation, inspiring him to begin brewing craft IPAs and consider a career as a brew master. Luckily, it wasn't long before the wine bug bit him and he jumped in with both feet. After securing his Baccalaureate in Enology from Fresno State University, Robert embarked on a wine journey with his first harvest internship at Quintessa in 2006.

Following Quintessa, Robert continued to hone his skills with positions at Seven Stones, Krupp Brothers and Covert Estate, as well as a harvest stop in South Africa at Bon Cap. Over the years, he has worked with an impressive list of mentors and formed lifelong friendships with such winemaking luminaries as Aaron Pott, Julian Fayard and Philippe Melka.

In 2011, Robert accepted the position as Estate Winemaker here at Quixote Winery. It's his ability to create complex and elegantly refined Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and our signature varietal, Petite Sirah, that truly illustrates his undeniable talent. Robert is continually striving to produce age worthy and well-balanced wines with immediate softness and approachability.

An avid surfer, when Robert is not at the winery, he can often be found taming the waves up and down the California coast.

Country born: United States

Education: California State University, Fresno - Bachelors in Enology

Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
Be kind, rewind.