Winery

Claudio Family Cellars

Beginning with home winemaking experiences starting in 1998, the journey into professional winemaking began in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, as a harvest cellar worker at Gravity Wine House in 2021, followed by an internship with Sojourn Cellars in 2022. During the 2021 and 2022 harvests Chris also processed the 2021 and 2022 wines for the Claudio Family Cellars label. During this time hands on experience and mentoring was augmented with chemistry and winemaking courses taken through the University of California, Davis, extension program in Viticulture and Enology. With an increase in varieties and quantities to process, for the 2023 and 2024 harvests Chris will apply all of his efforts to winemaking operations for the Claudio Family cellars label. The winemaking operation has also moved, with home now being Auburn James Winery, located in St. Helena, Napa Valley. By establishing strong relationships with vineyard managers that produce excellent fruit, my winemaking practice is able to concentrate on expressing the unique varietal character and delicate nuances. Use of organic ingredients in the winery, controlled extraction techniques, and moderate barrel influence all contribute to the freshness and natural mouthfeel of the finished wine