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Our Roots
Our founder Robert (Bob) Craig began his long and storied career in wine at The Hess Collection on Mount Veeder in the 1980s. Prior to starting his eponymous winery, Bob’s passion for Napa Valley Mountain Cabernet had him spearheading the official recognition of both the Mount Veeder and Spring Mountain District AVAs.
In 1990, with the help of three friends he met at business school in Chicago 25 years earlier, Bob founded Robert Craig Winery and arranged to purchase fruit and custom crush his first commercial release of the 1992 vintage. The 1993 vintage release introduced three Cabernets that remain the core of our business today: Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Affinity. Now, four decades later, Bob Craig remains one of the most important figures in Mountain Cabernet development and production in the history of the Napa Valley.
The Next Chapters
Having sunk his teeth into the mountain terroir of Napa Valley, it was Howell Mountain that called Bob’s name in the night. In 1995, Bob and his partners purchased 22 acres at the summit of Howell Mountain – the vineyard property that would become our winery estate. We released that first Howell Mountain vintage to critical fanfare the following year.
Bob and his wife Lynn worked hard to deliver the Mountain Cabernet message around the country over the next decade. The Wine Spectator named Robert Craig Winery one of its “Top 50 Producers” while reviewers such as Robert Parker Jr., Stephen Tanzer and others poured on the praise for our Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Affinity Cabernets. During the 1990s and early 2000s the number of wineries in the Napa Valley nearly tripled, and the number of Napa Valley brands grew more than ten times. The result? A much more competitive environment for small wineries.
To oversee the next phase of the winery in a now-crowded playing field, Robert and his partners hired wine business veteran and Mountain Cabernet aficionado Elton Slone in 2004 to direct all operations at the winery. Elton retooled and refocused our farming practices, winery equipment and personnel in the first years of his stewardship to bring the wines to their highest level of concentration, complexity, age worthiness and site expression. With an increased emphasis on quality farming and winemaking, as well as carefully selected vineyard parcels for the wines, the reaction from the press has been outstanding, with stellar reviews coming from The Wine Spectator, Robert Parker Jr. and Antonio Galloni, among others.
To Affinity and Beyond
Elton and the Robert Craig Winery crew continue to honor Bob’s founding principles of producing small-lot, site-expressive wines from high elevation vineyards with shallow soils. Elton became a full partner in 2007 and, following Bob’s retirement and departure from the wine business in 2012, has continued to move the business forward with the other three founding partners (Michael Adams, Derek Ruston and Michael Nugent).
Since 2013, Robert Craig Winery has moved from 25% estate grown to 85% estate grown. Significant vineyard acquisitions on Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and Coombsville have allowed us to maintain exceptional quality and site expression … all while keeping the price our wines from skyrocketing into the Napa Cult Cab stratosphere.
We have also added Diamond Mountain District and Spring Mountain District wines to our collection in order to represent the best mountain terroirs available in the Napa Valley, along with select bottlings from other exceptional sites like Gap’s Crown Vineyard in the Petaluma Gap.
Today, our small winery on the summit of Howell Mountain honors the past while continuing to press ahead with constant innovation in farming, winemaking and the warmth of experience that our many customers enjoy when they make the long journey to visit and taste with us.
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🍷 Our last itinerary for Cheers to Climate Smart Wines and it’s a good one! Thank you @frankfamilyvineyards, @aubergedusoleil & @seaveyvineyard!
Follow this itinerary for a stunning day in Napa!
Book your tastings at @napagreen certified @chimneyrockwinery @etudewines and @domainecarneros and stay at the luxurious @carnerosresort for a day that will delight all of your senses!
#visitnapa #winetasting #winetastings #winelover #sustainablewine #wineandfood #winecountry #winecountryliving
If you missed last night’s amazing climate smart wine tasting @klwines you can join us tonight Thursday, July 24 for another great lineup of @napagreen certified wineries @dominusestatewinery @chimneyrockwinery @domainecarneros and @beringervyds
You won’t want to miss this! Ticket link in bio.
#winetasting #winetastings #climatesmartwine #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery
📍Phifer Pavitt Wines in Calistoga!
A gorgeous family winery & vineyard that goes above and beyond in climate smart practices and quality of wine! 🍷
Can’t make it to Napa? Experience climate smart wines @klwines in downtown San Fransisco.
Join us Wednesday, July 23, 2025 to taste wines from @napagreen certified members @spottswoodewinery @pineridgewine @etudewines and @frankfamilyvineyards
You won’t want to miss this! Ticket link in bio.
#winetasting #winetastings #climatesmartwine #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery
Come join us this week at @klwines!! Tickets can be found at the link in our bio. Cheers! 🍷
😍 This one is a gem! Book your tastings at Napa Green Certifed @mummsparkling & @spottswoodewinery and enjoy a stay at the incredible @solageauberge!
Sustainability & Luxury truly make a great pairing. Cheers to Climate Smart Wines! 🍷
🎙️: @mvino1
⚠️ Don’t sleep on this one! Get your $15 tickets to taste INCREDIBLE wines from @spottswoodewinery, @dominusestatewinery, @chimneyrockwinery and many more at @klwines in San Francisco on July 23rd & 24th!
You know where to go ➡️ link in bio or www.napagreen.org. See you there! 🍷
📣 Calling all wine lovers! We’re partnering with some amazing wineries, restaurants and resorts to celebrate Cheers to Climate Smart Wines Month and we’re giving away an incredible ‘Experience Napa Valley Day’ to one lucky winner! 🍷
The winner will receive:
✨A one-night stay at @solageauberge
✨Wine tastings at @seaveyvineyard and @rutherfordhillwinery
✨A gift certificate to @charlies_nv
How to Enter:
1️⃣ Make sure you’re following @napagreen & @visitnapavalley
2️⃣ Like this post
3️⃣ Tag your favorite wine lover in the comments.
🙌 Bonus Entry: Share this post to your stories and tag us!
Giveaway ends Friday, July 18th. Winner will be announced here and contacted via DM by Monday, July 21st.
Legal Terms:
Must be 21+ and a legal resident of the U.S. to enter. Giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Instagram. No purchase necessary to enter. Winner will be selected at random and must respond within 48 hours to claim the prize. Travel and additional expenses NOT included.
Good Luck! 🥂
Sustainability is beautiful 🌼
Experience this wine tasting itenerary for yourself on your next trip Napa Valley! 🍷
#sustainabletravel #winetasting #winetrip #napavalley #napawine #climatesmart #winelovers #cheers
Fairy tale like settings? Delicious, ethically & sustainably produced wines? Yes please! 🌸
#visitnapavalley #napavalley #fairytale #winetasting #sustainablewine #cheers #winelovers #winetrip #magicmoments
🎞️: @mvino1
🎟️$15 wine tasting with the winemakers!? Join us at @klwines in San Francisco July 23rd & 24th tasting @spottswoodewinery, @dominusestatewinery, @chimneyrockwinery, @etudewines and many more from 4:00-6:00pm.
Pick up your tickets asap at the link in our bio!
⭐️ Steal this itinerary!
Cheers to Climate Smart Wines Month is back this July and we couldn’t be more excited!
We have built some truly fabulous and sustainable experiences which you can find on www.napagreen.org and this year we have included hotels as well!
Tag us in your posts when you visit our amazing Napa Green Certified wineries so we can share your Green adventures!
Team Green is thoroughly enjoying visiting a few of our Napa Green Certified wineries today! 🌱
Pictured here are the STUNNING new Sky Lofts at @rutherfordhillwinery. We strongly recommend a visit, it’s spectacular!
Wondering what this sign hung outside of the winery that you work at means? Want to be able to talk more about what it means to be @napagreen certified??
Join the Napa Green Ambassador training at Clos du Val on Wednesday, June 25 from 9-11 am to learn the answers and more.
Tickets are free but space is limited so reserve your spot from the Workshops & Events link in our bio.
#climateaction #napagreen #napagreencertified #climatesmartwinery #regenerativeag #regenerativefarming
🍇 Do you want to learn more about what it means to be a Napa Green Certified Vineyard or Winery?
🍇 Do you have new team members who still aren’t sure what that Napa Green Certified sign hanging out front actually means?
🍇 Are you curious about this term that’s suddenly popping up everywhere – regenerative?
🍇 Want to know what exactly does it mean to be climate smart?
Join us Wednesday, June 25, 2025 @closduval to learn how to talk about being @napapagreen certified.
Use the event link in our bio to register.
#climateaction #wineindustry #wineindustryleadership #climatesmart #sustainablewine #sustainablewinery #regenerativevineyard #regenerativeag
