Meet the next generation at four legacy Napa Valley wineries

Among the handful of Napa estates still steering their own course, we find a firm conviction about what it means to build for the long term. Younger heirs have their challenges and must stay relevant to an audience that drinks differently, travels less, and scrolls or swipes at bewildering speeds.

For these families, legacy isn’t something you simply inherit, so much as something you work for, keep working for, with an urgency to innovate, and stay relevant.

Dunn Vineyards: Holding the line on Howell Mountain

Mike Dunn remembers the moment the family business called him home. ‘I walked into a bookstore in Mendocino one weekend and picked up a book on wine and read about my family,’ he says. ‘I thought I should probably learn how to make wine at that moment.’

His stepfather, Randy Dunn, wasn’t so sure the two could work together. ‘He recognised that I was kind of my own boss, and didn’t want to work for him’, Mike recalls – but after the sudden loss of Mike’s sister, the family rallied, and Randy ‘embraced my return’.

When Mike joined the winery in 1999, he brought both pragmatism and precision to Howell Mountain, softening pressing, shortening pump-overs, and reducing the amount of new oak.

He pushed back against de-alcoholising the wines if the finished alcohol was under 14%, a practice Randy had adopted without apology. Still, Mike is in favour of removing alcohol if it’s over 14%.

The tannic power of Dunn’s mountain wines has resulted in numerous critics describing them as ‘undrinkable young’, a phrase Mike meets with good humour. ‘It may have been that way in the past, but today, they are approachable earlier, and still in our style,’ which is surprisingly elegant and powerfully built.

Mike Dunn’s challenge is to ensure he doesn’t spread himself too thin dealing with the viticultural demands atop Howell Mountain while maintaining a loyal client base and prized wholesale accounts. To ease some of the burden, in 2020, Ted Kizor joined to assist in the cellar, along with Lily Mirabelle Freedman, as General Manager in 2023.

Mike’s son, Alex, is also getting involved on the farming side – yet another generation of Dunn comes into the fold.

Corison Winery: Grace and the art of continuity

Cathy Corison once remarked that she never fully understood the term terroir until she realised ‘people are part of the equation.’

That belief underpins her four decades of championing elegant, lower-alcohol Napa Cabernet – at times seen as out of fashion, occasionally unprofitable, but unwavering in integrity.

‘I never got the business memo; this girl just wants to make wine, ’ she says.

But there came a point when she and her husband, William Martin, began talking to their daughters—Grace and Rose—about a succession plan. If neither daughter wanted to take it on, ‘We might choose to stop buying any fruit and concentrate on our estate vineyards, making less wine and living happily ever after,’ muses Cathy.

‘This is a very difficult business, and I didn’t want either Grace or Rose to come back into the business unless they really loved it.’

Grace, who trained in acting and lived in New York City before returning to St Helena, caught the winemaking bug while home on a kind of forced leave during the pandemic.

Her creative background makes her acutely aware of ‘what’s around you, and [how you ] then shape it into something that tells a story,’ she says. Her generation, she adds, values transparency as much as terroir.

‘People my age want to know not just what’s in their glass, but how it was made and what values are behind it.’

Meanwhile, Cathy is learning the art of letting go after nearly four decades. ‘This project has always been so personal,’ she admits. Yet in Grace’s growing stewardship, she finds reassurance: ‘We haven’t wanted to make more wine, just better wine. If we have a long enough runway, there should be great continuity.’

Cliff Lede Vineyards: From rock ’n’ roll to rhythm and balance

Few wineries blend serious winemaking with tongue-in-cheek playfulness quite like Cliff Lede. ‘We take winemaking seriously,’ says Cliff’s son Jason Lede, ‘but don’t take ourselves too seriously.’

Since 2002, Cliff Lede’s portfolio of wines from Bordeaux varieties is set against a backdrop of a shared love of classic rock, complete with vineyard blocks named after favourite songs.

Today, Jason leads the company his father founded. ‘Initially, there wasn’t necessarily the intention to be a multi-generational winery,’ he says. ‘I spent 10 years building my résume, and officially joined in 2015.’

That same year, the winery obtained its Napa Green certification, and Jason describes the transition as equal parts pride and pressure. ‘With the current state of the industry, we’ve made it a priority to eliminate noise and focus on what drives our business forward.’

He’s expanded the estate, deepened focus on Stags Leap District Cabernet, and brought in new audiences through music-driven tastings, DJ events, and two new wines – Rhythm and Crossfade.

Director of Winemaking, Chris Tynan, leads a tight ship in the cellar, with a strict focus on farming and making wines to enjoy with meals, at moderate alcohol levels – like their flagship poetry, which clocks in at impressively modest mid-13s.

Founder Cliff Lede remains confident about the handover: ‘We’re ready to weather the storm. We’re refining our winemaking techniques to redefine what balance means to us. I am confident that not all recent industry changes are fundamental, and that wine will persevere as an essential part of a life well lived.’

Rudd: Flexibility and focus in challenging times

When Samantha Rudd took over the winery her father established in the 1990s, she was keenly aware of his legacy. ‘Rudd is about craftsmanship. It started in 1996 with a lofty goal of creating a world-class estate.’

Rudd has thrived under her helm, but she’s not one to rest on family laurels amid shifting tides. ‘All my father was able to accomplish in his life is incredibly impressive,’ she says. ‘However, that is literally the past.’

In 2021, Rudd promoted Natalie Bath to Head Winemaker. Bath, who interned at Petrus in Pomerol and first joined Rudd in 2014, has dialled back ripeness, tightened the white wine program, and brought a renewed focus on organic farming with some biodynamic practices. As a result, the wines are livelier and fresher than ever before – and attractive to a younger clientele.

It’s an oft-repeated mantra, but for Rudd: ‘Making the best wines possible from our land every year,’ is the goal. And to do that, she has surrounded herself with a comfortable team asking what they need to do to, ‘keep finding consumers, and not get stuck in our ways.’

She sees today’s economic and global consumption challenges as a chance to cultivate new wine lovers. ‘I remind our team to practise gratitude with customers,’ she notes. ‘Now more than ever, we need to make them feel special. I worked at [Bordeaux’s Château] Margaux during its 200-year celebration. If we are truly in this for the long haul, we will need to be able to adapt.’

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