Our Story

As the grandson of Italian immigrants, who always celebrated with a bottle of homemade wine, Baldacci Family Vineyards has been a lifelong dream. In 1997 when my family and I purchased the vineyard, located on the southern slope of a gentle knoll in the Stags Leap District, we fell in love with not only the 20 acres of vineyard, but also with carrying on the family tradition of creating wines for family and friends.

The Stags Leap District is known for its history of producing Cabernet Sauvignon wines noted for their distinctive combination of power and elegance. With origins dating back to 1916, our vineyard boasts soils that are proven to grow excellent quality grapes. Seven years ago we set about replanting each block to maximize the soil structure. After endless days walking the land, we are familiar with every row of the vineyard. Our estate vineyard allows first-hand examination of the differences between the varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc rootstock clones based on location, soil type and sun exposure.

Our goal is to grow the finest quality grapes and minimally handle them, allowing their unique qualities to come through in the finished wine.

Rolando Herrera, Our Winemaker

Rolando Herrera, has a thorough knowledge of Stags Leap vineyards; he has been intimately involved with making wine here for almost twenty years. In fact, Herrera started his winery career right “next door” to Baldacci, at Stags Leap Wine Cellars, where he spent ten years, the last seven of them as Cellar Master. He acquired additional experience in Napa Valley at Chateau Potelle and Vine Cliffe Winery as with his own winemaking consulting firm before going to work with Paul Hobbs Wines in 2001. He also makes wine for his own label, called Mi Sueno, and has made Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa grapes.

“When I started talking to Baldacci about coming to work for them,” says Herrera, “I was very excited, because I wanted to get back to the vineyards of Stags Leap District. These are the wines I know and love the best – they have a unique texture and style recognized everywhere as making the very finest Cabernet Sauvignon. In a way, I feel as if I've come full circle because I started my career here in Stags Leap District. Now I return with a wealth of knowledge and experience that I can put to good use for the Baldacci family.

“My philosophy of winemaking,” he says, “is to make wines with silky, velvety texture and great character – no monster tannins. My charge is to make the best wine possible while respecting the vineyard site and its terroir. Stags Leap District has the outstanding vineyard terroir that I need to make that happen.”