Tom Rinaldi

Winemaker, Hewitt Vineyard

Tom has made wine at some of the valley's most important wineries, apprenticing at Freemark Abby, Rutherford Hill and Round Hill before joining Dan and Margaret Duckhorn to help found Duckhorn Vineyards in 1978. There, for two dcades, he established himself as one of the Napa Valley's premier fashioners of elegantly classic Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots.

Country born: United States

Education: BS Enology/ermentation Science, UC Davis
Mentors: Phil Baxter and Rick Forman

Years in the wine industry: 30+ years

Winemaking Philosophy:
It's a privilege to work with the exceptional fruit from the Rutherford, Oakville and Carneros district to craft the wines. I love everything from anticipating the vineyards' seasons to experimenting with new technologies. I love the way we use innovative practices right alongside traditional methods.

Chris Cooney

Winemaker, Hewitt Vineyard

Before starting at Provenance, Chris traveled the world to work harvests in many areas including Germany and Austrailia and returned to school to earn his Masters degree from the University of California, Davis, in 2002.

Country born: United States

Education: UC Davis Master's Degree 2002

Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
Winemaking is about expressing the character of the place. Each vineyard has it own distinct personality. During the winemaking process we try to highlight and polish the best attributes while smoothing out any rough edges. Whether we blend fruit from different vineyards or emphasize a single vineyard block, our goal is to get all the grapes to play nice with each other. When we're successful the final wine is a harmonious expression of origin--whether that origin is a single vineyard, multiple vineyards, and appellation or a subappellation.