Tucked into the eastern hills of the Oakville appellation, squarely within the heart of Napa Valley, Miner Family Winery is the culmination of the story and the vision of owners Dave and Emily Miner. Following a number of years spent working in the software industry, Dave Miner began his journey in the wine industry in 1993 as President of Oakville Ranch Vineyards, owned by his late uncle, Robert Miner. Having spent years as an enthusiastic wine consumer and collector, Dave had a natural affinity for the business.

 

Emily Miner, a Minnesota transplant and graduate of Santa Clara University, fell in love with Napa during breaks from school. She worked for a fine wine distributor in Minneapolis after graduation and quickly realized that winters in Minnesota were no longer much fun. In 1994, she packed up and headed back to California and shortly after joined Oakville Ranch as the Tasting Room Manger. It was there, Dave and Emily met, fell in love, purchased the winery and were married in 1999, the same year they debuted Miner’s inaugural 1996 vintage. Joining Dave and Emily, in 1997, was winemaker, Gary Brookman. Originally cutting his teeth making wine in 1980 at Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Gary has worked with a myriad of varietals, constantly refining his skills with each passing harvest.

 

In addition to winery-owned vineyards, Gary & Dave identified, sought and secured a number of California’s finest vineyard sites, but only those allowing them complete farming control. It is this level of detail and control, from vine to wine, that ensures a wine’s consistency and quality. Each wine at Miner is crafted in a style to encapsulate the distinctive elements and the indelible fingerprints of their respective vineyards. This combination of excellent vineyard sites along with passionate and thoughtful winemaking injects the necessary components for creating profoundly joyful wines. The Miners continue to create authentic, elegant and complex wines from a handful of high quality vineyards in Napa Valley and beyond. The next chapter will be left to Dave and Emily’s two energetic daughters, Sofie and Calla, who have a few vintages yet to grow into the family business but will no doubt be raised with a deep understanding and appreciation of the history, the culture, and the people that make Miner wines so fantastically unique.