Hestan Vineyards
Hestan Vineyards was born from the culinary passion of Stanley Cheng and his wife, Helen. This husband and wife team has combined innovation and passion to create award winning wines. Stanley pioneered hard-anodized cookware in the 1970s and has continued to improve the ways we cook through innovations and he keeps that innovation going through his wines.
A Hidden Gem on Napa Valley's Remote Eastern Slopes
Hestan Vineyards is a picturesque estate located on Napa Valley’s remote eastern slopes. The vineyard is named for owners Helen and Stanley Cheng, whose passion for fine wines and love for Napa Valley’s beauty and charm led them to purchase the property, a former cattle ranch, in 1996. They immediately prepared to plant grapes, adding small blocks over the years to take advantage of the site’s myriad of exposure and well-drained soils. In keeping with the Chengs’ commitment to land stewardship, both the vineyard and gardens are sustainably farmed and 100% solar powered.
A Vineyard Rooted in Family
The importance of family & heritage is evident at Hestan Vineyards. The vineyard’s 92 point pinot noir, Vincent Christopher, is the coming together of Stanley’s sons. Stephanie, a long lauded label ranging from Merlot, Malbec to Cabernet Sauvignon, proudly bears the name of the only daughter in the family. With Stanley’s roots in cookware, the Meyer Vineyard label pays homage to Stanley’s first company, Meyer Corporation, the largest distributor of cookware in the world.
Meet Our Wines
Our carefully-tended 110 acres are blanketed with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache. We also operate a small Chardonnay vineyard planted at the mouth of the Napa River. Winemakers Jeff Gaffner and Thomas Rivers Brown translate these varietals into award-winning, limited-release wines for the Hestan, Meyer, Stephanie and Vincent Christopher labels.
Hestan Vineyards
Our flagship wine label is named for our proprietors, Helen and Stanley. The Hestan portfolio contains Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. All of these wines are unfiltered and 100% varietals coming from the Estate Vineyards.
Meyer Vineyard
Named for Meyer Corporation, the largest distributor of cookware in the United States. Stanley proudly sits as the company’s CEO. Thomas Rivers Brown brought our 2014 Meyer Cab to be named the #8 wine in the world on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list of 2017.
Vincent Christopher
Named for Stanley and Helen’s two sons, Vincent and Christopher. This label was created for our Pinot Noir we first began making in 2015, using grapes from Walala, a vineyard that sits atop of a ridgeline overlooking the Sonoma Coast Pacific Ocean.
Stephanie
Stephanie, named for Stanley and Helen’s only daughter, has the perfect wines to represent her. The bottle itself reflects an image of a silkscreen golden harp, a nod to Stephanie’s musical talents. The wines are elegant and lovely, just as Stephanie is.
Behind the Scenes
Our carefully-tended 110 acres are blanketed with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache. We also operate a small Chardonnay vineyard planted at the mouth of the Napa River. Winemakers Jeff Gaffner and Thomas Rivers Brown translate these varietals into award-winning, limited-release wines for the Hestan, Meyer, Stephanie and Vincent Christopher labels.
Thomas Rivers Brown
Thomas Brown is one of Napa Valley’s most exciting and acclaimed winemakers. His uncompromising approach to winemaking has resulted in effusive praise from the wine press, including unprecedented double 100 point scores from the Wine Advocate’s Robert Parker.
In 2009, Brown joined the Hestan Vineyards winemaking team, taking over production of the winery’s critically acclaimed Hestan and Meyer programs.
Jeff Gaffner
Jeff Gaffner began his career at Chateau St. Jean working with legendary winemaker Richard Arrowood to produce the winery’s celebrated 1996 Cinq Cepages, named Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine. Over the years, Gaffner has developed a reputation as a specialist both in the vineyard and cellar, receiving critical acclaim for his site-expressive winemaking and signature elegant style.
Gaffner was hired in 2004 to launch Stephanie, the winery’s line of Bordeaux-style blends.
