Bridget Raymond

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Bridget was raised in the middle of vineyards in Oakville,CA (bordering Rutherford, in the heart of the Napa Valley) and spent much of her time as a child playing among the vines of her family's vineyards. She recalls some of her fondest childhood memories were of getting in grape fights with her brother in the vineyards and making wine by stomping grapes with her feet...all at the ripe age of nine!
Years later, harvest became her favorite time of year. During college, she drove up to Napa many weekends to help her uncles make wine and worked in different wineries to gain in-depth knowledge about various varietals and different winemaking processes used throughout the valley.

From winemaking to sales and marketing, Bridget was exposed to many facets of the business. In 2004 she now felt ready to pursue her life-long dream of producing her own wine. Hence, Courtesan, Brigitte, and Omerta were born.

Aside from her personal projects, Bridget is also a consulting winemaker on additional Napa wines.

Country born: United States

Education: My formal education was nice, but I owe everything I know to my family and mentors. Working alongside seasoned winemakers and walking the vineyards with growers of over 30 years .... there are some things you just can't learn from a book.

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
Wine starts in the vineyard, I merely help craft it into something beautiful. That's why I only use grapes from some of the best sources in the valley.

Sandi Belcher

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Sandi Belcher is a native of Williamsburg, VA. After college at the College of William and Mary she came to the University of California Davis to study Animal Science/Agriculture. A brief visit to the Napa Valley in the early 1970's, was all it took and she was enthralled with the wine industry. She worked harvests while studying at Davis to gain knowledge about the industry and her curiosity took her abroad to work and learn about practices in other grape growing regions.

Returning home to the Napa Valley, she spent 27 years making wine at Long Vineyards on Pritchard Hill while teaming up with partner John Arns, to fulfill their desire to create Arns Winery. She has also been involved in vineyard and winery development in China, Thailand and other grape growing regions.

Country born: United States

Education: College of William and Mary Graduate, Williamsburg, VA

Years in the wine industry: years

Winemaking Philosophy:
My thoughts of winemaking comes from a deep love of the vines.Agro business is so facinating because we can not live without it. Manipulating agriculture gives us food and wine that gives us life that is vital to all.

Chris Kajani

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Chris is a proud native of Napa where she learned early in life the pleasures of jumping on horses for vineyard rides and raiding her parent's wine cellar (not necessarily in that order). The minute she turned 16, she became the designated driver for family outings up and down the valley, planting the seed for her future career. She went on to earn her B.S. in Biological Sciences at UC Davis and began working for biotech giants in the Bay Area.

After extensive travel in the wine regions of France, Spain, and Italy she took her desire to enhance people's lives in another direction. A chance encounter at a dinner party led her to work a harvest at Testarossa with renowned winemaker and Pinot geek Ed Kurtzman. Bitten by the winemaking bug, she trekked back to UC Davis where she completed her M.S. in Viticulture and Enology. She was hired by Pahlmeyer in 2004 and was immediately seduced by its newly launched Pinot Noir project.

The Burgundian side of life called to her, and in 2006 she joined Saintsbury. In 2013, she was promoted to Winemaker. "Immersing myself in the nuanced soils and microclimates of Carneros, and having the opportunity to build relationships with our outstanding and dedicated grower community, has been an incredibly rewarding experience. We live and breathe grapes and wine - but also live on this dirt, breathe this air, and drink this water. To work with people who are not only committed to world class wine growing, but also sustainability and the preservation of this land for generations to come is such an honor.".

Chris was brought on as the Winemaker and General Manager at Bouchaine Vineyards in early 2015, bringing with her a deep knowledge of Carneros soils and microclimates along with the driving idea that great wines are grown not made. She was promoted to President and Winemaker in 2023.

Chris lives in Napa with her son and husband. When she isn't hiking, cooking, or travelling, you can still find her jumping on horses and raiding wine cellars.

Country born: United States

Education: M.S. Viticulture & Enology, UC Davis '06

Years in the wine industry: 15-20 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
Fine wine starts in the vineyard.

Julie Robertson

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Julie Robertson built her winemaking career in a most unique way. A fifth-generation Texan, Julie grew up near Dallas/Ft. Worth, where throughout her childhood she spent many hours working with her grandfather on his land, the EIEIO.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University, Julie returned to Dallas and joined a small architectural firm where she earned her architecture license. Turns out that the Architectural world can require a bit of ‘scrappiness’ to make ends meet, so Julie landed a part-time job at Molto Formaggio, a gourmet wine and cheese shop.

Sidetracked by the wine and cheese industry, Julie left architecture to become the manager and buyer for Molto Formaggio. Julie’s new focus became designing and curating a wine program of exquisite boutique producers to pair with cheeses from around the globe while earning her accreditation as a Certified Sommelier and Certified Specialist in Wine.

In 2014, during her travels to Napa to dive deeper into what makes great wines great, Julie was invited to join the hospitality team at Ladera Vineyards. She packed her bags and set off to learn the behind-the-scenes of making great wine through selling great wine.

Ever curious about the making of wine, Julie embedded herself into cellar work during the 2014 harvest at Ladera, all in her spare time of course. Napa was not enough, and New Zealand was her next adventure. Julie spent the next three years working in winemaking between Ladera in Napa and Elephant Hill in New Zealand.

Ready to call Napa home, Julie accepted the assistant winemaker position with Pahlmeyer. Under the direction of wine consultant Jennifer Williams, Julie’s charge was to craft world-class wine while absorbing cellar logistics and business organization. After the sale of Pahlmeyer to Gallo, Julie accepted the assistant winemaker position with Kerr Cellars under the direction of winemaker Helen Keplinger.

Julie met Pam Starr while she was working at Pahlmeyer, where Pam offered wine business advice. The two reconnected in 2021 where they took up a friendship and discussed wine growth from a global perspective. In June 2022, Julie joined Crocker & Starr Wines as winemaker.

Country born: United States

Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years

Shawna Miller

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Enchanted by the ancient mystique of wine and love of plant science, Shawna fell in love with the magic of winemaking on day one of working at a winery. She spent most of her twenties traveling around the world learning the secrets of winemaking, including harvests in New Zealand, Australia and Napa Valley.

Approaching her 20th harvest, she has had the pleasure of working at many incredible wineries and alongside such notable winemakers as Celia Welch and Philippe Melka.

Recently she was recognized as one of the most influential female winemakers of the world, representing the U.S. in Decanter Magazine. Shawna passionately ran the Luna Vineyards winemaking program from 2011until the winery’s sale in 2021. She created Earthshine Wines to continue producing wines that move the soul from vineyards that warm her heart.

Shawna also works as a consulting winemaker for several prestigious Napa brands under her brand Shawna Miller Wine.

Country born: United States

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Heidi Barrett Peterson

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Heidi Barrett has made many of the Napa Valley’s most sought-after and cult classic wines. Known as the "First Lady of Wine", she is best known for her perfectly balanced, elegant, and ageworthy Cabs (including
Screaming Eagle from 1992-2006 and Dalla Valle from 1989-1995) and has gained an international following for her winemaking skill and artistry across many different varietals. Her own label, La Sirena, was started in 1994, and she is currently the winemaker at Amuse Bouche, Fantesca, Paradigm, and Lamborn. She also founded Barrett & Barrett winery in 2008 with her husband, winemaker Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena.

Country born: United States

Years in the wine industry: 30+ years

Sarah Vandendriessche

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Joined Elizabeth Spencer in 2010 as Winemaker. Previous experience at Scholium Project; Robert Sinskey Vineyards,Krupp Brothers Estates/Stagecoach Vineyards, White Rock Vineyards. We have a stellar winemaking team at Elizabeth Spencer. Spencer Graham is Director of Winemaking. He determined the original style of our wines and established the long term relationships with our grape growers. Sarah Vandendriessche is the Winemaker, overseeing all aspects of production, from managing vineyard practices through to bottling. Spencer and Sarah work together on all final blends. Robbie Meyer is our consulting winemaker.

Country born: Unites States

Education: North Carolina State, Biology Major. Winemaking experience through hands-on practice under mentorship and tutoring of Nigel Kinsman and Abe Schoener.

Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
We buy from a handful of premiere grape growers, with whom we work from vintage to vintage. Our winemaking philosophy adheres to a classical tradition. The model for all of our wines is intensity without excess weight, purity, persistence and length.

Shaina Harding

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Shaina Harding Is a graduate of the UC Davis Viticulture & Enology Program who has been living and making wine in the Napa Valley since 2008. She has had the great fortune of being able to work with many of Napa's most creative and influential winemakers and has developed her own style while poking their brains and squeezing their grapes. She loves being among the vines and working in the vineyards, but her heart lies in the cellar gently guiding her wines from juice and must to bottled joy. Her nurturing style of winemaking ignores nothing yet allows the wine to flourish and become their best selves throughout the fermentation and aging process. She believes in being ever present and guiding her wines in the right direction, but never forcing them to be something they are not intended to be.

Country born: United States

Education: Graduate of the UC Davis Enology & Viticulture Program

However; my real education has come from so many of my favorite Napa Valley Winemakers. Thank you to Jeff Ames, Kirk Venge, Aaron Pott, Mike Chelini, Doug Boeschen, Tom Garrett, Mike Hirby, Julian Fayard, Enrico Bertoz and so many more amazingly talented winemakers for letting me help you squeeze your grapes and gather your knowledge over the years. I love you guys!

Years in the wine industry: 15-20 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
I'm a wine nurturer. I believe in letting each barrel become the best version of itself, but being ever present to make sure it happens. I believe if I give patience and love to my wines, it will show in the glass.

Alison Doran

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Raised in Palos Verdes with plenty of horses and surfing, Alison Green Doran was drawn into winemaking in 1973. Her father, oil man and long-time Alexander Valley vineyard owner Russell Green, had bought the Simi Winery in 1969, and brought in Andre Tchelistcheff as a consultant soon after. By working as a harvest intern beside Andre for six months at Simi in 1973, Alison found both her life’s work and her mentor.

Andre found her a five-month stagaire position in Alsace for the crush of 1975, and then an enologist position with start-up Hoffman Mountain Ranch in Paso Robles. After finishing her Fermentation Science degree at UC Davis, she began working for the Firestone Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley in 1976. Starting as lab tech, she worked her way to bottling supervisor and then to cellar master, and then in 1981, to winemaker.

Country born: United States

Education: Fermentation Science/UC Davis

Years in the wine industry: 30+ years

Winemaking Philosophy:
To craft elegant wines that express the true terroir of Doug Hill's vineyards.

Kimberlee Jackson Nicholls

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Over a career spanning more than 30 years, Kimberlee Nicholls has
earned a reputation as one of Napa Valley’s most respected
winemakers. With a gifted palate, and over three decades of Napa
Valley winemaking knowledge and experience, Kim crafts
wines of character and complexity from Markham’s 260 acres of
certified sustainable estate vineyards in Yountville, Oak Knoll
and Calistoga.

Country born: United States

Education: B.S. in Biology, Willamette University, Salem, OR. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (John Gibson / Francoise Peschon)

Years in the wine industry: 30+ years

Winemaking Philosophy:
Food, family and fun! Food and wine have a harmony that is best expressed at the table. We enjoy making wines here at Markham Vineyards that we can pair with food. Having fun and sharing with our family of friends makes us love what we do.

Chelsea Barrett

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Chelsea Barrett grew up in Calistoga and began working in vineyards and wineries from a young age. She attended UC Davis and graduated in 2010 with a degree in Viticulture and Enology. After college, Chelsea interned at Mayer am Pfarplaz in Austria, Two Hands in Barossa Valley, then returned home to Napa Valley, spending a harvest at Opus One. She then worked at Joel Gott Wines for seven years with projects all over California, as well as Oregon and Washington. During this time, She also began collaboration with her mother Heidi Barrett making wines for Amuse Bouche and Aviatrix. Chelsea joined the Materra team as Winemaker in 2019. Other projects include Amuse Bouche, Aviatrix, and Lamborn Family. She lives in Calistoga with her husband, three daughters, and a husky-german shepherd mix. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, cooking, skiing, scuba diving, and reading.

Country born: USA

Years in the wine industry: 15-20 years

Michelle Shafrir

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Michelle Shafrir has been at Miner Family Winery since 2017. With meticulous attention to detail, she and the team work hard to craft terroir-driven wines from fruit sourced from some of the best family-owned vineyards in Napa Valley and throughout California.

Michelle is a California native, having grown up in the Bay Area. She holds degrees in Chemistry from UC Berkeley and Environmental Studies from Tel Aviv University. Michelle has had the fortune to work at a number of well-known wineries, including stints as the Enologist for Hall Wines as well as V. Sattui and Castello di Amorosa. Just a few weeks into her first harvest internship at Cuvaison Estate Wines, Michelle knew she’d found her calling –

“I was drawn to wine because I love nature, science, and art, and wine is all of those things. Winemaking follows the rhythm of the seasons and requires a harmony of geography, climate, soil, plant physiology, microbiology, chemistry, and the people who make it.”

When she’s not making wine, Michelle can be found at home gardening, hiking in a local park, or taking flamenco dance classes.

Country born: United States

Education: B.S. Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, 2005
M.S. Environmental Studies, Tel Aviv University, 2011

Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
To craft balanced and expressive wines following Miner's winemaking house style.

Jennifer Rue

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Jennifer's interest in wine began early, and the Santa Monica native still recalls her disappointment at not being able, at the age of 14, to purchase a bottle of wine to pair with the Father's Day dinner she was preparing.

While her ah-ha wine, a DRC Grands Echzeaux, was decidedly French, Jennifer considers herself a thoroughly California winemaker. After graduating from UC San Diego in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in biology and working in the environmental sciences field, traveling and studying abroad, Jennifer set her sights on winemaking in the Napa Valley.

She began at Franciscan Oakville Estate in 1995 working in the tasting room and moved to the lab, where she worked with her first mentors, Gary Brookman and Frances Rojas. In early 1998 Jennifer became part of the founding winemaking team at what would become Miner Family Winery, beginning in the lab and working the last five vintages of her tenure as assistant winemaker. It was there she received the encouragement and support to establish her own winemaking consultancy.

Jennifer joined Trent Moffett in 2007 as winemaker, where she continues to apply her holistic winemaking philosophy, focus and scientific approach to the Moffett, Screenplay and C&T Cellars wines. With a philosophy of it has got to smell good and feel good to be good, Jennifer's goal is producing lush, balanced and aromatically interesting wines

In 2010 Jennifer joined custom crush house Napa Wine Company as associate winemaker to oversee the barrel aging programs, working and learning with other notable Napa Valley winemakers. In 2014 she joined longtime colleague Anne Vawter for the 2014 growing season and vintage to become onsite winemaker for Anne's major clients in 2015, including Oakville Ranch, the first vineyard Jennifer fell in love with and a continual presence through her 19-vintage career.

Jennifer has worked with every Oakville Ranch winemaker since 1996, and the return to Oakville Ranch's soil after many years of hard work and redevelopment by Phil Coturri, and Mary Miner was a sweet homecoming.

Presenting the thinnest veneer between place and palate is her goal, possible only through a deep intimate knowledge of the vineyard and respectful minimal manipulation in the winery. Jennifer sees success when her hand is invisible, with only the voice of the vineyard coming through clearly.

Country born: USA

Education: UC San Diego - Ecology, Behavior & Evolution and Spanish Literature

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
Presenting the thinnest veneer between place and palate is her goal, possible only through a deep intimate knowledge of the vineyard and respectful handling in the winery. Jennifer sees success when her hand is invisible, with only the voice of the vineyard coming through clearly.

Sara Fowler

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Sara Fowler has been named Best Local Winemaker by Napa Valley Life Magazine in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Sara began working harvests and summers at Kendall-Jackson, and then pivoted to studying enology at Fresno State and becoming a winemaker. When she arrived at PEJU in 2006 her first mission was to transition the estate vineyard into being organically farmed, which was accomplished in September 2007. Today she supervises the farming of the winery’s six estate vineyards in four different sub-AVAs of the Napa Valley.

Over the past few decades, Sara has traveled the world representing the Napa Valley as a speaker, guest panelist, and wine educator. Sara currently lives in St. Helena, her interests include travel, gourmet cooking, hiking, and Bocce. She has been actively involved with the Rutherford Dust Society since 1999, and was Board Vice President (2023-2025), Napa Valley Vintners, Napa Valley Grape Growers, Wine Tech and ASEV (American Society for Enology and Viticulture.

Country born: United States

Education: Fresno State - Enology & Viticulture
Worked abroad in Chile for Veramonte
Mentors: Jed Steele, Larry Levin, Michel Rolland

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Honors / Awards:
Voted Best Local Winemaker in Napa Valley Life Magazine in 2016, 2017 and 2018

Winemaking Philosophy:
Known throughout the Napa Valley as a master blender, Sara has brought along a wealth of knowledge and creativity into the cellar since joining Peju in 2006. Sara's passion for Bordeaux varietals and knack for innovative blending make her the perfect fit to lead Peju's winemaking team. Her artisic approach towards crafting wine focuses on taking the best components from the Peju estate vineyards and blending them to create the finest possible finished product.

In September 2007, Sara headed Peju's efforts to gain organic certification in the Rutherford Vineyard and she is overseeing the winery's sustainable farming efforts in the Persephone and Wappo Vineyards with organic certification goals in the near future. This method of grape farming not only preserves the land and creates balance in the vineyard, but it also enhances the quality of the fruit.

Natalie Winkler

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Natalie’s enthusiasm for viticulture and winemaking began in an inconspicuous way. She landed a gig at a local wine bar while attending the University of Oregon. Immediately smitten by the variety of profiles from wines grown all over the globe, the sommelier path seemed the logical trajectory. A friend and mentor at the time suggested working a harvest abroad. Recently graduated, fluent in Spanish, and ready for adventure, Natalie jumped on a plane to Spain in 2009 for vintage at Bodega Elias Mora in Toro. Once she had dirty vineyard boots and purple hands, suddenly her future became very clear.

After her stint in Spain, she moved to Healdsburg, California to pursue a winegrowing career. She’s worked at a variety of wineries in both winemaking and viticulture: Windsor Oaks (Russian River Valley), Mill Creek Winery (Dry Creek Valley), Westwood (Sonoma), and Salvestrin (St. Helena). In 2013, she travelled to Victoria, Australia for harvest at Delatite Winery. In 2015, Natalie travelled to Bordeaux, France for vintage at Chateau Fontenil, where Dany and Michel Rolland celebrated their 30th harvest at the winery. Natalie has been privileged to learn from renowned winemakers David Ramey and Dany Rolland.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Political Science (University of Oregon) and a Master’s in Viticulture and Enology from the University of Valladolid in Ribera del Duero, Spain.
Natalie is very keen on farming as the key to quality winemaking and focuses her efforts in the vineyard to transitioning toward organic and biodynamic methods.

Country born: United States

Education: Master's in Enology & Viticulture
Harvests in Bordeaux, Spain and Australia
Mentor David Ramey

Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
Always seeking balance and focusing efforts in the vineyard through the growing season. Let the vineyard speak for itself in the wines, a winemaker's impression should be minimal.

Sally Johnson Blum

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

Sally’s wines have garnered multiple 100-point scores from critic Robert Parker, earned a place on Wine Spectator’s “Top 100 Wines in the World” list, and graced numerous White House State functions. Named by Glamour magazine as one of the US’s “10 Most Badass Women Winemakers,” Sally previously served as Director of Winemaking for Robert Mondavi Winery and Winemaker at Pride Mountain Vineyards. She graduated from the University of Michigan with degrees in French literature and biology, and earned her masters degree in winemaking at the University of California, Davis. Among her many contributions to the local industry, Sally is a participant in the Napa Valley Vintners Leadership Development Program's third cohort, 2023 - 2024.

Country born: United States

Education: Napa Valley Leadership Program, cohort 3 member
Oakville Winegrowers Association technical committee member
Unified Symposium planning committee member

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Honors / Awards:
Over ten wines served at White House state dinners
One of Glamour magazine's "Top 10 Most Badass Women Winemakers"
Two 100-point scores from Robert Parker
Three wines on the Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines in the World list
One wine on the Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Wines in the World list
Food and Wine magazine's Best Merlot for its category

Winemaking Philosophy:
My philosopy towards winemaking involves letting the site drive the process. I've had the good fortune to work with some phenomenal sites over the course of my career, and I enjoy the process of tailoring my approach to winemaking to each site in order to realize its potential. I feel that it's possible to produce balanced wines even from full-throttle sites; I love intense flavors, and I enjoy the process of adding layers and complexity through a preservation of varietal character and a conscientious approach to the development of midpalate.

Abigail Estrada

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

A Bay Area native and UC Davis enology and viticulture graduate, Abigail Estrada didn't travel far from her roots to TEXTBOOK Vineyards in the Napa Valley. Still, the path to get there took her around the world for harvests in four different countries, including Italy, New Zealand, and Israel, where she was exposed to a wide range of climates, vineyards, varietals, and winemaking techniques.

As Winemaker at TEXTBOOK Vineyards, Abigail is in a unique position to leverage her aptitude for innovation and experimentation with new techniques in the cellar. Her holistic knowledge of Napa Valley’s coveted vineyard sites brings a valuable perspective to winemaking as she works alongside TEXTBOOK founder and wine industry veteran, Jonathan Pey.

Country born: United States

Education: My mentor is Winemaker Kimberlee Nicholls. She hired me for my first full-time job in the wine industry, as the Enologist at Markham Vineyards. Her friendship, mentorship, and empowerment has shaped me as a winemaker.

TEXTBOOK Founder, Jonathan Pey and I work closely in crafting these small lots. His insights shaped by the trials and triumphs of founding TEXTBOOK have been invaluable in how we craft each vintage.

Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
TEXTBOOK wines are designed to capture the soul of each variety – expressing the unique, identifiable qualities of the fruit, soil, and climate. We accomplish this by seeking out the best parcels of the region, integrating these lots for balance.

Julie Johnson

Winemaker, Women Winemakers

I married a winemaker. Then I married another winemaker. They both make great wine and I've learned a great deal through a 30-year-long process of love and osmosis (and personal gumption, I guess!)

I was encouraged to start making wine in 2001 - "Don't you think it's about time that you start making the wine (from your front yard)?", he said.

Country born: United States

Education: Pre-med, Bowdoin College
Public Health & Public Health Nursing, Columbia University
Numerous classes
Lots of sweat equity

Years in the wine industry: 30+ years

Honors / Awards:
Gerald Asher just called my 2007 Rutherford Perspective estate Cabernet "impeccable, with a perfect balance, complete." That's pretty wonderful feedback from my point of view.

Winemaking Philosophy:
Act as a steward for the terroir and let it speak to you. Make the wine you personally love to drink.