Story
Our JourneY
NEOTEMPO is the culmination of a decades held vision and drive to bring to life a modern, family owned and operated winery in classically beautiful Napa Valley wine country.
Serendipity Guides DISCOVERY
Summer of 1996 and serendipity led to the discovery of the property that would become our estate vineyard, Kiatra. A flat bicycle tire slowed us down long enough for the heritage oaks, story book 1950s cottage and surrounding vineyards to enchant us to the core. We were building our careers, undertaking extensive work travel, saving as much as we could while never forgetting our dream of living in the wine country, but we still had to keep biking down The Trail.
15 years later, Spring of 2011 and serendipity struck again! Add to that our patience, perseverance and hard work paid off. “Kiatra Vineyards” was born and our vision for a modern family owned and operated winery would finally come to life.
Establishing the Kiatra Vineyard
The heritage oaks on the knoll were our first concern as they had witnessed 150 – 200 years of Napa history and we wanted them to witness ours. With the expertise of a seasoned arborist, over time the oaks are better poised to watch over the property for many years to come.
We were determined to establish a new healthy vineyard that would provide top quality grapes for decades to come. Soil health for the vineyards was of paramount importance so when planning the vineyards, we let the soil rest for a year, absorb nutrition and be protected by cover crops. We chose rootstock that best fit our soil and site conditions. Next came replanting which was done with a less conventional choice of FPS certified Cabernet Sauvignon clones. We believed that the choice would shape the texture and flavors of our future wine in a distinctive and beautiful way. We farmed organically from the start and within a short time, our fruit was in demand by prestigious wineries and wine makers. Things were great!
Neotempo - Setting a new tempo for new timeS
Fire came on October 8th, 2017. It was frightening. It was a very unsettling time, overwhelming at points and the air hurt our lungs. It drove us off our vineyard and away from our home. We left the property fearing the worst for us and our neighbors. People within our community were lost, structures were erased and the fires kept burning. We were spared, as was the property, thanks to our vineyard which acted as a fire break. The Napa community rallied, the hearts of people were revealed and very few stood on the sidelines. Committed friendships and relationships were forged during that time.
September 2020 and the Glass Fire erupted, not too close to us this time but it was destructive and sadly in such a scenic area of the valley. So close in time to 2017, this massive fire was an even louder wake up call. Temperatures continue to rise and we have extreme weather events more frequently.
We are acutely aware that all industries need to revisit their processes and take active measures to reduce their impact and that the wine industry should lead by example since we are on the frontlines of climate chaos.
Many people in the industry wondered if the future of wine is in danger with the changing climate. How can you produce high quality wine while battling droughts, fires, smoke, flooding, and extreme temperatures?
We started partnering with like minded vintners, wine growers and organizations across the wine industry to move faster and together protect the future of the industry. We support innovative companies who are modernizing farming.
There is a big movement that is working on what we can do and we are sharing our experiences and challenges. We need more leadership and innovation and we need it at a faster pace to create new solutions.
We knew if we wanted to fulfill our dream of establishing a wine brand for the twenty-first century we needed to make sustainability and climate resilience at the core of how we farm, produce and package world class wines. We leverage technology enabled innovation on all aspects of our brand to enhance and elevate our product and experience.
We named our wine brand NEOTEMPO, to honor the urgency of this ‘new era’, and also symbolize a new chapter for us.
We wanted to create a mission and values based wine brand and build a team of talented creators, experts and pioneers who would help us achieve our vision.
OUR MISSION & CORE VALUES
Our mission is to sustainably farm and craft unique, world class wines paired with curated multi-sensory experiences that excite the senses and inspire the soul. Our learnings and success will be a model for how a wine brand can balance responsibility to the planet and people in line with a strong growth oriented business model.
- Produce wines, products and experiences with substance, meaning and intention.
- Honor the past, celebrate and live in the present and act now to protect the future.
- Put sustainability at the core of our strategy and offerings.
- Be kind to the planet and all living on it.
- Strive for greatness fueled by intuition, knowledge and innovation.
- Small details make a big difference.
- Use the platform for doing good.
- Hire the best and trust them.
- Stay authentic and grounded.
- Have fun – it’s a privilege to work on your passion.
TEAM
Our team combines decades of organic and biodynamic farming experience, masterful award winning winemaking, and technology enabled innovation to produce wines of great distinction using methods that promote sustainability, accelerate innovation and leverage precision.
We are a group of creators which share a passion for wine, music and food from many regions across the globe.
