Wine Portfolio

Sam Baxter

Winemaker, Terra Valentine

I was born and raised in St. Helena and grew up alongside my dad, who began making wine in Napa Valley in 1968. By the time I was in high school, I was working every afternoon in the wine business and began to develop my palate for blending wines. I blended my first solo wine my senior year of high school. After graduating from UC Davis and working a vintage in Australia, I had the opportunity to join a start-up on Spring Mountain and have been here ever since.

Country born: United States

Education: BS Fermentation Science 1998 UC Davis

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
I grew up drinking the wines of the 1970s and 1980s from the Napa Valley. The understated elegance of those wines, along with their staying power, was a profound influence. Though my style has a modern influence as well, I feel it is important for a wine to show a sense of place and for each component to balance out the other so that the experience is seamless.