Makers' Stories
Christopher Jones
— After struggling to make decent home wine with fruit sourced through brokers, I learned that with the quality of Napa Valley fruit, you can make great wine by simply keeping it clean and simple. When it comes to optional additives, less is more.
Name a Napa Valley vintner who has influenced you and briefly explain why.
I can’t point to a single vintner, but there have been countless small pieces of advice that have shaped my winemaking style over time. Conversations with Mike Yates, along with listening to podcasts and reading articles featuring Delia Viader, Cathy Corison, and Chris Carpenter, have all been both insightful and motivating.
If you weren't a Napa Valley vintner, what would you be doing?
Building something, probably residential contracting.
Tell us about your first Napa Valley harvest…
After making no more than 2.25 tons at home—and around 6 tons during my first two harvests in 2021 and 2022 while working and producing my wines in Santa Rosa—my production jumped to 23.7 tons after moving to St. Helena in 2023.
While it was a tiring and drawn-out harvest (as I created and executed all the work orders myself), it was incredibly rewarding to see the fruit hang for what felt like forever—especially after the rushed picks in 2022 due to the heat spike.
What's one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I was actually born and raised in Upstate New York—though when people hear me mention Minnesota, they often assume I’m originally from the Upper Midwest.
What is your favorite memory as a vintner working in Napa Valley?
Sharing my wines at the Napa Valley Tasters Society where many people complimented me on the quality of my wines.
What’s the strangest word you’ve used to describe the smell or taste of wine?
Sous Bois. It is a forest floor aroma and taste profile of my Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir.
What does "cultivating excellence" as a Napa Valley vintner mean to you?
Sharing and collaborating with other winemakers and experienced people in the industry. Sharing wines, thoughts about vineyards and making techniques, and receiving and providing feedback is incredibly helpful and necessary.
What's your all-time favorite food and wine pairing?
Mt. Veeder Merlot with chopped salad, grilled chichen thighs and asparagus.
If you could open a bottle of your wine and share it with any three people (living or not), who would they be?
Grandpa Rocco Pompeii, my Uncle Phil Pompeii and my cousin Sammy Russo, as they represent the lineage of winemaking in my extended family.
What is your winemaking philosophy?
Keep it simple and clean to let the vineyard shine through in the wine—aiming for lower alcohol levels, with balanced fruit, acidity and tannins. Oak influence should be moderate and used only to finish and polish the wine.
How did you get started in the wine business?
After spending over 20 years working in tech—and feeling unsatisfied with the quality of fruit I was able to acquire through brokers while living in Minnesota—I contracted 1 ton of Merlot from Mt. Veeder and 1.2 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon from Coombsville in 2020. After making that wine in Minnesota, everything changed when I tasted the barrel samples the following spring. February 2021 marked the turning point: I officially formed an LLC to produce wines I could sell, and began my transition to life in wine country.
Est. 2021
Claudio Family Cellars
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The Makers