One of Napa Valley’s oldest wineries, now in the hands of its fourth generation, engages renowned winemaker to lead its Rutherford, Howell Mountain and Lake County wine production
NAPA, CALIF. (April 3, 2024): Pestoni Family Estate Winery, which has been family-owned and operated since 1892, welcomes a new winemaking team with Aaron Pott as consulting winemaker and Jeremiah Moore as winemaker. Beginning with the 2024 vintage, Pott and Moore will direct the winemaking for Pestoni Family Estate Winery, working closely with the family’s fifth generation and consulting director of viticulture, Matteo Abreu, and longtime cellar master Manuel Avina. The family’s fourth generation winemaker, Andy Pestoni, will retire after making the wine for 20 years, and remains connected to the family brand serving on the board of directors.
“Already having a great rapport with one another, Aaron and Jeremiah’s enthusiasm for winemaking and working with our estate vineyards in Rutherford, Howell Mountain and Lake County, coupled with their talent and appreciation for Napa Valley, is a tremendous asset for us,” said Greg Pestoni, General Manager, Pestoni Family Estate Winery.
“Having lived and worked in Napa Valley and abroad for a long time,” said Pott, “Pestoni Family Estate Winery possesses what I love most about wine country – that ‘old-school’ Napa vibe – which has always resonated with me and is rare today. I’m most excited to play a role in preserving one of the few, multi-generational family-owned and operated wine projects, with more than a century of history in Napa Valley.”
Pott, who is one of Napa Valley’s most celebrated and respected winemakers, brings more than 30 years of winemaking experience to Pestoni Family Estate Winery. Following graduation from the University of California, Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, Pott began his winemaking career at Newton Vineyard in 1990. He moved to France to be the winemaker for Château Troplong-Mondot, a Premier Grand Cru Classé in Saint-Émilion, and after a year, he spent the next five years as the director at Château La Tour Figeac while earning a degree in Viticulture from the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, France. When Pott returned to the U.S., he was appointed head winemaker for Beringer Wine Estates’ international brands, followed by a dual role as winemaker and general manager for Quintessa Estate. He was recognized as Food & Wine magazine’s ‘Winemaker of the Year’ in 2012. Today, Pott consults with a limited number of boutique Napa Valley producers including Blackbird Vineyards, Seven Stones Winery, Greer Wines, Perliss Vineyards, St. Helena Winery and Fe Vineyards, in addition to making wine for his own label, Pott Wine, created with his wife Claire in 2007 from their Mt. Veeder property.
“Joining the Pestoni Family Estate Winery as winemaker is an incredible reunion with my friend and mentor Aaron Pott,” said Moore. “It’s also an exciting opportunity to help the Pestoni family realize the full potential of their vineyards by crafting wines that are a pure expression of their sites and showcasing the quality of their farming.”
Moore, a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, began his winemaking career at Sterling Vineyards in 2004 as an intern. During his thirteen-year tenure with Sterling Vineyards, Moore worked his way up to the position of laboratory manager, supervising the winery’s compliance, Napa Green certification, blending trials, bottling and annual harvest internship program. In 2017, Moore jumped into the cellar as the enologist at Blackbird Vineyards. There, he met and worked alongside Pott, who appointed him the winemaker for Blackbird’s custom crush clients and eventually winemaker of Blackbird Vineyards in 2022.
“Having made wine all over Napa Valley, I’m looking forward to working with Pestoni’s Howell Mountain vineyards, which offer some of the best Napa Valley terroir, in addition to working with Jeremiah again, and Matteo, who is, and reins from, arguably one of the best viticulturists in the world,” said Pott.
ABOUT PESTONI FAMILY ESTATE WINERY
Founded in 1892, Pestoni Family Estate Winery has grown and produced single-vineyard wines from Napa Valley vineyards in Rutherford, Howell Mountain and Lake County. For five generations the Pestoni family has been dedicated to highlighting the regional expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc and proprietary reds from its estate vineyards. The winery, adjacent to the Pestoni Ranch vineyard in Rutherford, features beautiful gardens, picnic grounds and opportunities for in-depth private tastings. For more information about Pestoni Family Estate Winery, to inquire about tasting reservations, or to acquire wine, please visit www.pestonifamily.com.
