Napa Valley Wine Producer Bought By Wine Grape Growers Placing Focus On Sense Of Place

“There was no M&A plan that we hatched on a whiteboard,” Jack said with a lighthearted chuckle, so it came as quite a surprise, thinking that the idea of buying a producer with an excellent reputation was way out of their financial abilities – those were the deals for the billionaires of the world. But in many ways, a book that inspired Jack when he first moved to Napa after college, when he was initially working at wineries doing whatever they needed him to do, called Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard, from the founder of Patagonia, who advocated learning 80% of a skill, whether it be mountain climbing or accounting, and then moving one’s focus to another skill to be acquired, helped to prepare him for this opportunity. Not only does Jack know his way around a winery and vineyard, the book inspired him to understand other aspects of the business too, such as being on the board of a prestigious winery and Napa organizations, starting wineries, managing them, and he humbly says that he is still trying to get to the 80% in so many of the above positions he has held. Yet he loves that continuously fascinating nature of the wine world, and there is always a tremendous amount to learn, and it keeps that fire of curiosity alive in him.

Focusing On The Land

Ironically, Jack divested from a winery where he was a partner a couple of years ago so he could solely focus on serving as the steward of Ecotone Vineyard. In many ways, it was a full circle moment as he lived on this property in the ‘90s as a young man, with the property known as Thorevilos at the time, and shared his bachelor days with another youngster in the business named Hugh Davies, who is currently the president of his family’s winery Schramsberg Vineyards, the same prestigious winery where Jack sits on the board – again, two degrees of separation.

When Jack took over what is now known as Ecotone Vineyard (formerly Thorevilos), he was very excited about bringing in a bunch of different great winemakers to make wine from his vineyard, as before it wasn’t opened to other producers, as he thought it would be a way to get a much more multidimensional idea of all the facets of the site. And at that point, he felt he found where he was meant to be after over 30 years of delving into most major aspects of the Napa wine world.

A phone call changed everything, as Giancarlo called Jack to tell him about a conversation with Greg Araujo, and shortly before that call, Jack had a conversation with Greg’s sister Jamie about taking over Accendo and what that would look like. Although all of it seemed like just lovely ideas as if to say, “Oh yes, in an ideal world this would be doable, but we do not live in an ideal world.” But then it led to a lunch with all four of them, Jack noting that they kept saying, “Are we crazy to do this? Or does it sound natural?” Then, six days after their first conversation, they were closing on the acquisition of Accendo, rather than the typical 90-120 day process with a bunch of attorneys. It was an atypical course of proceedings due to the high level of trust in the Araujo family; once they gave Jack and his partners the inventory and told them to count everything, Jack and his partners said it wasn’t necessary, as they trusted what they had given them.

Humbly, Jack says he isn’t the real farmer of the group with Giancarlo being the fifth-generation farmer and the son of a man who was recognized as the Napa Valley Grower of the Year in 2016 for his innovations as well as the other partner, Giancarlo’s brother-in-law, Paul Goldberg, and president of Bettinelli Vineyards, a respected figure in his own right as the 2024 Napa Valley Grower of the Year. But there is something to say about Jack’s passion, his curiosity and his refreshing openness to learn from others, even at a stage of his career where he has accomplished so much, that makes him a great farmer in an unconventional way. He walked away from other, much more impressive positions to find his home on a special vineyard, ultimately a place where he rented a guesthouse in the 1990s, as a wide-eyed, enthusiastic young man. It is quite remarkable that he still has that youthful curiosity and love for a business that has occupied much of his life. That alone is a success story, whether the fated deal of Accendo happened or not.

And perhaps the key factors to Jack’s successful journey, as a person initially without any family connections in a place based on personal connections or tremendous wealth, was his openness to taking any job at first to learn and through time took on various hats out of a genuine curiosity and desire to expand his knowledge, always feeling that there was room for him to grow. Someone who is a loyal, good person who built a solid reputation as a solid friend, generous colleague and highly competent professional, who shied away from being the ultimate expert in anything, as he was always looking to better himself by learning from others instead of imposing his complete authority.

Realistically, people like that don’t get the opportunity to buy a top Napa producer or anything of high intrinsic value. For those who are in it for the relationships and personal growth, they don’t even miss such opportunities, as they are too busy living a full life. Yet, for the good of the Napa community and Napa wine drinkers, it is something to be celebrated that one of their top wineries is going to such a person and his grape-growing partners.

Accendo currently has three wines in its portfolio, with around 3,000 cases produced annually in total – extremely small production. Well-respected winemaker Nigel Kinsman will stay on at Accendo with a continuation of production at the historic, state-of-the-art Wheeler Farms facility now owned by Suzanne Deal Booth.

2023 Accendo, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California: 28% Sauvignon Blanc from Ehrlich Vineyard, Oakville, 25% Sauvignon Blanc from Rancho Pequeño, Oakville, 18% Sauvignon Blanc from Juliana Vineyard, Pope Valley, 19% Semillon from Rancho Pequeño, Oakville and 10% Sauvignon Musqué, Rancho Pequeño. Delectable notes of lemon curd on the nose, citrus blossom, and stony minerality, with peach tart and a drizzle of honey, and a lovely balance of medium body, lots of juicy fruit and crisp acidity.

2022 Accendo “Laurea” Red Wine, Napa Valley, California: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot sourced from 64% of Napa Valley AVA, with other sub-AVAs represented with 19% from Yountville, 16% Diamond Mountain and 1% St. Helena. “Laurea” is the second wine of the Accendo top-tier Cabernet-dominant blend and is not meant to be inferior in any way, but rather to be more generous at a younger age than its prestigious older brother. Irresistibly delicious with blueberry coulis and blackberry preserves that is nimble while also being succulent – fantastic combination, with intriguing complex notes in the background such as tobacco leaf and tar all wrapped in finely knitted tannins that give an overall lift.

2022 Accendo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc sourced mainly from the “Gold Coast” of the western bench of Oakville and Yountville from famous vineyards such as Vine Hill Ranch, M-Bar Ranch and Sleeping Lady (estate vineyard) as well as lesser known vineyards that are hidden gems such as Ecotone (estate), Terravina at Upper Range (estate) and Diamond Mountain. Whether it is an estate vineyard or a relationship with a grower, all vineyards are sustainably farmed. An elegantly impressive beauty with a seamless intermixture of finesse that brings with it aromas of gravelly rocks and a hint of smoldering earth with gorgeous fruit that comes in with caressing waves of cassis and blackberry compote with big shouldered tannins yet with silky edges that are perfectly integrated in the wine and a long, expressive finish leaving notes of wild thyme and graphite in one’s head that is imbued with pristine fruit.

The above descriptions of the wines are Cathrine Todd’s tasting notes and all of the wines were tasted by her on November 19th, 2025.