Sean McBride

Winemaker, Crosby Roamann

I'm the proprietor and winemaker at Crosby Roamann, which is named for my grandmother Peachy Crosby and my great-grandmother Sally Roamann. I grew up in "rural" Manhattan, and only caught the wine bug while slinging bottles at a fine wine and cheese shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan during college. My experience has been very hands-on from the beginning. I got my feet wet working harvests at White Rock Vineyards alongside a coterie of talented winemakers, and from the beginning my focus has been on "wines of place" -- working with family-owned vineyards throughout Napa Valley to develop wines that express Napa Valley's unique terroir.

Country born: USA

Education: I started making wine while I was still in grad school, and I moved out west as soon as I could thereafter, so my winemaking education has been hands-on from the beginning. When Jason Kesner left his corner of the back caves at White Rock, I filled his place, and I was lucky enough to make wine there with an amazing group of people -- growers, writers, artists -- and all of them talented winemakers, for a number of years. Even though I've moved on from making wine at White Rock, I continue to learn and grow as a winemaker at every stage of the process, working with as many talented people and exceptional growers in Napa Valley as I can.

Years in the wine industry: 7 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
My philosophy is that the greatest wines are made with as little intervention as possible between the fruit on the vine and the wine in the glass. For this reason, every action I take on the crush-pad and in the cellar is balanced against the precept that the less I interfere with the natural expression of the harvest, the better the wines will ultimately be.