Fontanella Family WineryFontanella Family Winery Fontanella Family Winery New Guys on the Block (in the Valley) Our Story
Fontanella Family Winery was a dream in the making since the day Jeff Fontanella, owner and winemaker, had decided to abandon his aspirations of medical school to instead pursue a career in winemaking. His path had been drawn long before it became evident to him, but a serendipitous turn of events that landed him in the halls of UC Davis led him to the career that was unquestionably his calling.
It was the Spring of 2000, after Jeff had cut his teeth in the cellars of Opus One and ZD, that he met his future wife at a Jimmy Buffett concert. Armed with a magnum of ZD Chardonnay, Jeff charmed his way into the heart of an aspiring young attorney who eventually would be his partner in life and business. In 2003, Jeff and Karen married and started a journey toward what would become Fontanella Family Winery.
In the Fall of 2005, a beautiful property on Mt. Veeder caught the eye and hearts of Jeff and Karen who envisioned a future winery, vineyard and a place to raise a young family. On November 2, 2005, they purchased the 26 acre property on Partrick Road and began the development of the winery, the brand, and the Fontanella Family. The Fontanella's first son, John Henry, was born exactly one week after Karen and Jeff had secured the Use Permit to build the winery facility on the property in July of 2006. In October of 2007, they broke ground on the construction of the facility just one month after their second son, Andrew, was born. Needless to say, pregnancy seemed to be the harbinger of activity on the project which may have explained the expediency of it.
In July of 2008 the winery was completed, the brand was launched and the Fontanellas' started a new chapter in their lives that they had been dreaming of for years. The winery, now in its second year of operation, processes approximately 165 tons of grapes each year for the Fontanella brand and several of Jeff Fontanella's consulting clients. The Fontanella Family Winery label produces approximately 1,200 cases annually, consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Chardonnay. The winery and brand are truly a passion for Jeff and Karen and they hope that you feel that commitment in every bottle you open of Fontanella. Our TeamOur Winemaker
winemaker and owner, has been making wine in Napa Valley for 10 years. A graduate of the University of California at Davis he holds a degree in Viticulture and Enology. Jeff began his winemaking career working in the cellars of Opus One and ZD. Soon after, he took a position at one of Napa's great cult wineries, Saddleback Cellars. At Saddleback Jeff sharpened his winemaking skills under the tutelage of Nils Venge, whom Robert Parker named one of the 20 most influential winemakers in the world. During his tenure at Saddleback, Jeff was able to hone his stylistic approach to winemaking while reinforcing his technical training in the art. While challenged with the task of producing wines from 13 different varietals, Jeff was able to display his versatility as a winemaker, matching different winemaking techniques with specific vineyards in order to achieve the wines full potential.
It is this philosophy that Jeff has set as the foundation of Fontanella Family Winery. Jeff is intimately involved with the viticulture practices used in the vineyards he has selected for our wines. It is from this point that Jeff is able to extract the true potential of each vineyard through the delicate and strategic process of shepherding the grapes from crush to bottle.
Throughout his career, Jeff has crafted wines that have received several 90+ point ratings from Robert Parker, the Wine Spectator, and the Wine Enthusiast. He was featured as one of "The Next Napa Superstars" by Vinography.com at the 2008 Aspen Food and Wine Classic. His wines made a repeat visit at the 2009 Food and Wine Classic, when the Fontanella Family Winery's Cabernet Sauvignon was highlighted.
Karen Kruse Fontanella
owner and in-house attorney, is a Southern California native who fell in love with a charming young winemaker during her last year of law school at University of San Diego School of Law. Jeff convinced Karen to leave her Dana Point home to move to Napa and pursue her career in law in wine country even before the two were married.
Karen spent over three years working for the law firm Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty in Napa, specializing in the business development of small wineries and eventually worked in local land use, helping Napa wineries with their use permits and vineyard development plans. In 2004, Karen was offered a position as General Counsel for a real estate investment and development company called The Krausz Companies. Specializing in acquisitions, sales and financing of large commercial properties, Karen gained invaluable experience in the commercial end of real estate from one of the most respected companies in the business. It was from these two unique backgrounds that Karen gained the practical knowledge base to help the young couple find a unique property prime for developing a new winery and vineyard.
When the opportunity arose to purchase the Mt. Veeder property and launch into a new business, Karen was equipped with not only the legal background to help with the venture, but also a rich family history of entrepreneurial enterprises. Karen's family has been in the animal feed business for three generations. Her grandfather, Otto Henry Kruse, founded O.H. Kruse Grain & Milling which eventually grew to be the largest west coast manufacturer's of animal feed. It was this entrepreneurial spirit that has helped encourage Karen and Jeff to pursue their dreams of having their own family business. Karen now runs the daily business of the winery, including all the sales and marketing of the new brand. Stacey Pytlewski
family in July of 2009, after spending the last six years working in Napa helping the sales and marketing forces of Saddleback Cellars, Kirkland Ranch and Hunnicutt. Stacey helps Karen with the sales and marketing of our brand and specializes in taking utmost care of our Fontanella Family Wine Club members. After graduating from Colorado State University at Fort Collins, Stacey's love for wine pulled her to Napa, not far from her hometown of Walnut Creek. While we like to say that wine was her first passion, her first true love is for horses and when not at the winery you can find her enjoying long rides with her beautiful horse down in Carneros. Gerardo Rodriquez
joined Fontanella in July of 2008 as our first official employee. After graduating from Napa High School, Gerardo spent several years at Honig learning the cellar backward and forward and further honed his skill in the cellar at Round Pond. Not only does Gerardo have over 13 years of experience in the cellar, he is also continually striving to learn more and with his positive attitude we know that he has great things ahead! Gerardo has a wife, Elizabeth, and two darling little boys, Diego and Max.
Our Winery andVineyardsOur Winery
We have completed construction of the winery! On July 29, 2008 we received our Certificate of Completion and can now begin processing grapes at our new facility.
Our journey began when we purchased 26.4 acres of property on Partrick Road, just West of downtown Napa on Mt. Veeder, in November of 2005. We immediately began the process of applying for a Use Permit with the County of Napa which we obtained on July 5, 2006. Two years later we have realized our dream and have a new home for our wines.
We are wrapping up our first crush at the winery, having brought in our final grapes on November 6th. We successfully crushed 164 tons of grapes and we are thrilled with how well the facility performed. The 2008 vintage is shaping up to be outstanding so we will continue to update you on the development of the 2008 wines in the coming months!
Our tasting room officially opened in November so please contact us at (707) 252-1017 to make an appointment to come by for a visit!
Our VineyardsStar Vineyards
In the heart of the Rutherford bench, Star vineyard is recognized for it's gravelly loam soil deposited by alluvial fans during the formation of the valley floor. The warm days, and cool nights, moderated only slightly by coastal fog, make Rutherford a benchmark for cabernet growing. We pick fruit from the A1 block which is also the oldest block in the vineyard, approximately 20 years old. The clones are split between clone 7 and Martha's clone, which originated from the famed Martha's vineyard. Because of its age and balance, the wines are typically richly layered with black cherry, dark plum and currant fruit, as well as soft, silky tannins that make this a classic cabernet vineyard. Yates Ranch
Located at the end of Redwood Road on Mt. Veeder, this vineyard was established in the 1880's by Ehrest Streich. For the last 55 years, the ranch has been operated by the Yates Family. This vineyard is 1100 ft above the valley floor. The steep, rocky mountainside provides little for the vineyard existence. Yields are extremely low, but flavors and concentration are extremely high. A unique and rare gem that most winemakers dream of. Henry Ranch
Our neighbor to the south, this vineyard is owned by Daryl Sattui. The ranch at its base is adjacent to Hudson vineyards in Carneros. The foggy and cool climate is a great site for producing wonderful Chardonnay. The short, cool, days preserve the acidity and fruit character, while allowing the phenolic maturity to develop in the absence of overripe characters.
The rolling hills then climb their way up Mayacamas and extend onto Mt. Veeder. The peaks and crests of which have limited soil, and great exposures for growing Bordeaux varietals high above the base of the ranch. The moderating effects of the bay fog allows for additional hang time and tannin development, while protecting the integrity of the fruit. The result is dark extracted fruit which have concentrated, rich structure. LaTour Vineyards
Located at over 1600 ft of elevation, this vineyard literally sits on top of Mt. Veeder. The vineyard is shaped by the high altitude topography, cooler air temperatures, and mix of volcanic and sedimentary clay soils. The cooler temperatures at such a high elevation give the vines a late start in Spring, and a more moderate growing season than that of the valley floor. However, while the typical late season fog blankets the valley below, this vineyard benefits from early morning sunshine and warmer morning temperatures creating longer growing days and a chance for rich flavor development towards the end of the season. A challenging growing site, but truly unique and amazing as well. Fontanella Family Winery1721 Partrick Road
Fontanella Family Winery was started in 2005 by Karen and Jeff Fontanella. Jeff had been making wine in the Napa area for 11 years and studied viticulture at UC Davis, and Karen was an attorney working in both business development of small wineries and real estate investment law. Their joint backgrounds were primed for moving in the direction of their dream, to build a family winery. 2008 and now in it's second year, produces 1,000 cases annually. Chardonnay, all from the Napa Valley. These wines are rich, luscious and complex. the wine to achieve it's full potential as he shepherds the grapes from crush to bottle. Club, where you'll get to blend your very own Cabernet Sauvignon from the all inclusive kit they send you (including four half bottles of ultra premium Napa Valley wine). After blending, Jeff will customize a case to your liking and ship it to your doorjust in time for that special celebration! And yes, you do get the bragging rights! |
Jeff Fontanella, our 
Karen Kruse Fontanella, 
Stacey joined our winery 
Gerardo, our Cellarmaster, 
