The Legends

Napa Valley’s wines are frequently in the spotlight. The subtle details of the region’s land, grapes, varietals are often featured in colorful stories that create the urge to pick up a wine glass and start sipping. However, the most interesting and exciting tales come from the families and winemakers themselves, generations of untold stories divulging Napa Valley’s past and present.

That is why Cultured Vine has sought out some of the most notable winemakers in Napa to present its The Legends. Offering access to famed vintners including Tor Kenward, the fourth-generation Mondavi family sisters and Aaron Pott. This series will share never-before heard stories from these masters accompanied by wine of their choice.

During your time, you’ll walk, taste and talk alongside renowned Napa talent as they share their most intimate wine secrets, stories of their greatest challenges, what they had to overcome to achieve success, who helped them along the way and most importantly, what makes their family’s wine so special.

Below, you’ll find some highlights of what makes each of these vintners a master of their craft. These award-winning winemakers await you in Napa; you decide who you’d like to stroll beside.

Package includes tours and tastings with one of the following vintners. Approximate time: 90min – 2 hours.

Tor Kenward - TOR Wines Napa Valley

TOR Cabernets have been longtime favorites among collectors for over a decade. TOR Cabernets have become highly allocated since winning the World’s most prestigious wine tasting last year, deemed the “Judgment of Napa,” beating out elite Cabernets by Scarecrow and even Bordeaux 1st Growth Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

Judgment of Napa: October 6, 2021, a jury of rare wine experts and collectors from across the globe gathered in Napa for a revamped take on the historic “Judgment of Paris” tasting in 1976. The competition pitted top red wine producers from California versus the world. Similar to the results from Paris forty-five years ago, the ultimate winner shocked the judges, as Napa carried the day with TOR Beckstoffer To-Kalon Cabernet beating out far pricier competitors.

A Napa staple, Tor Kenward has more than four decades of winemaking anecdotes to share. He started out as a vintner with Beringer and after 27 years of spearheading winemaking there, he retired in 2001 to start his own wine label, TOR Kenward Family Wines.

It was during his time with Beringer that the foundation was laid for TOR wines via three decades of mentorship under Napa’s top winemakers, who encouraged experimentation as well as traveling and exploring vineyards all over Europe to taste, talk, learn and listen to other winemakers.

By the time Tor started his own company, he’d walked almost every corner of Napa Valley striving to understand what makes a great wine. His takeaway: his wines would come from only the best blocks in superlative vineyard sites he knew and admired.

Today, he says, “I often feel I know few people luckier than I am when I look at our list of vineyard partners – Beckstoffer To Kalon, Vine Hill Ranch, Tierra Roja, Melanson, and Cimarossa.

With The Legends, Tor will take you through a tasting of select wines from the “grand cru” vineyards of Napa Valley. He will also lead you on a private and exclusive tour of locations like the renowned Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. Reflecting on his decades of working with wine around the world, Tor will share his passion for wine with you and entertain your group with his many stories and endless knowledge of the wine industry.

The Mondavi Sisters - Fourth Generation

Since 1966, Mondavi has been a staple name in Napa making standout wines which led to its recognition today as a global leader in California’s wine industry. The family’s tradition of excellence is carried on with the fourth generation, the Mondavi sisters, who are committed to producing outstanding hand-crafted wines just like the generations before them.

Starting at the spry age of 10, each sister – Angelina, Alycia, Riana, and Giovanna Mondavi – spent their summers learning the family business. A typical summer day for the girls entailed odd jobs throughout the winery, including schlepping hoses, cleaning tanks, soaking bottles, pulling samples, and running analyses. A family tradition of summer winery jobs led each sister to love the wine industry.

In 2005, the four sisters founded Dark Matter Wines, a 100 percent Zinfandel, and in 2017 purchased Aloft Wines, a 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. For both, the fruit is sourced from their parents’ Howell Mountain property which sits 1,700 feet above the valley. You’ll take in the view from here during your tasting of the sisters’ masterful reds, a rare and special occasion as very few barrels are produced every harvest. Spearheaded by winemaker Angelina, the sisters are committed each year to mastering the significance of hand-crafted wines with the same passion and devotion their forefathers passed down for generations.

Let them tell you more as you converse over wines such as Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Aaron PotT - Bordeaux Experience Brought Back to Napa

When Mother Nature had a change of mind about five million years ago, an ancient seabed rose to become a small mountain, a uniquely singular geological feature of the Napa Valley. Today, exploring the rugged slopes of Napa Valley’s famed Mount Veeder AVA, you couldn’t ask for a better guide than winemaker Aaron Pott. It’s casual and questions are welcome.

Affectionately dubbed “Châteauneuf du Pott,” Aaron generously shares his love for France and these mountain vineyards with his guests. “It’s a dormant volcano,” he explains. “And its landscapes can be downright weird.”

On the slopes of Mount Veeder, concentrated full-of-flavor grapes command age-old artisanal techniques and the winemaking process demands hand craftsmanship of the highest level. The result is three estate wines: a Franc, Sauvignon, and Merlot blend; a 100% Viognier; and a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the tiny vineyard at 1,400 feet.

A guided walk with Aaron Pott is an intimate one. “Generally, I bring people up and show them the vineyard and the views. Then we go down to the house and taste several vintages of wine from the property plus some wines from outside vineyards where we get fruit for our wines.”

Mapping his journey from a rather accidental first sip of wine at age 10 to a lifelong immersion in the world of wine, Aaron may refer to several of his personal mentors, legendary winemakers and thought leaders such as John Kongsgaard, Michel Rolland and Jean-Louis Mandreau. Now, he is himself an acclaimed consulting winemaker for some of the best wines and producing his own estate and single vineyard wine named for the family: Pott - Aaron, Claire and Daughters. It’s a remarkable story indeed.