One of the pillars of Palmaz Vineyards is the family legacy we have created; three generations live and work on the property, enjoying the literal fruits of our labor.  And as the third generation grow up, they continue to become more interested in the business and finding their future place.

Although we are so excited for the continuation of Palmaz family members’ involvement, we have more exciting news to share.  For more than 20 years, Tina Mitchell as worked tirelessly to farm our vineyards and craft our wines.  For nearly 18 of those years, her son Doug Mitchell has been learning the ropes; working his way from intern to lab technician and finally to assistant winemaker.  Today, we are thrilled to announce that Doug has taken over as winemaker with this year’s harvest, allowing Tina to ease into a well-deserved retirement!

When it comes to making an original wine recipe, Michael Keller, the owner of The Blending Lab Winery in Los Angeles, gives customers a real-world taste of what it’s like to be a winemaker. 

By Shellye Leggett, for Spectrum News | Original Article

“They’re getting hands-on experience of what a winemaker will typically do. Sitting at the table, trying to come up with what their final product is,” Keller said.

California’s wine country offers much more than world-class bottles. These memorable winery meals are more than worthy of their vino pairings. 

By Katie Sweeney, for Forbes Travel Guide | Original Article

When planning a trip to California wine country, instead of reserving a restaurant for every meal, consider dining at a winery. Many vintners believe that food is integral to a tasting and offer robust culinary programming that enhances the pours. A seafood or protein pairing can highlight the minerality of a sauvignon blanc or the subtle nuances of a cabernet franc. Full-time chefs with pedigreed backgrounds oversee these savory journeys that often involve a plant-to-plate ethos at vineyards with extensive culinary gardens growing alongside the grapes.

If you’re seeking an immersive gastronomic affair in a beautiful setting, head to one of the following eight wineries. Note that all of these places require reservations, but these incredible winery experiences are worth it because they go above and beyond, providing a meal and a lifelong memory.

Napa winemaker hires AI apprentice to refine winemaking process

By Tom Vacar | Original Article

There’s plenty of talk about how artificial intelligence has the potential to simplify workflows for office employees across a range of industries, but its uses may reach much further. As one Napa County vintner can attest, A.I. may have a place in agriculture.

Palmaz Winery, located on Napa County’s Mount George, has started using artificial intelligence to produce prized wines after a quarter-century of doing it the traditional way. The goal is to reduce the time winemakers spend on tedious tasks that distract them from the essence of their craft, where they feel they’re truly expressing themselves through the product.

By Peg Melnik, The Press Democrat | Get a taste of the future at this Napa winery | August 2024

With a dome of fluorescent lights shining on ever-changing computations displayed in different colors, the 110,000-square-foot cellar at Palmaz Vineyards looks more like the bridge in “Star Trek” than a winemaking facility.

VINTNER Q&A: What Christian Palmaz Believes About The Roles of People and Terroir in Winemaking

Miles Smith | May 19, 2023

VINTNER: Why did you enter the wine industry and what makes you love being a part of it and stay in it?

PALMAZ: Making wine is the ultimate pursuit of perfection. Through its process wine has infinite depth and dimension. After 25 years, I’m constantly humbled by the seemingly endless diversity of terroir this estate can offer our wine program. I’m not sure I will ever see the same vintage twice and that’s precisely why I’d spend lifetimes doing this if I could.

The Luxury Item: Christian Palmaz, Chief Operating Officer at Palmaz Vineyards

S09 E01 | May 2, 2023

Family-owned and -operated Palmaz Vineyards in Napa Valley is regularly voted one of the best wineries in the region and is known for fusing the time-honored art of winemaking and cutting-edge technology. Scott Kerr sits down with Christian Palmaz, COO at Palmaz Vineyards, to discuss his father Dr. Julio Palmaz’s journey from inventor of the balloon-expandable heart stent to vineyard owner. Christian also talks about the engineering marvel of the vineyard’s 18-story subterranean winery “Cave”, the smart technologies and big data analytics used to improve the winemaking process, expanding into cattle operations and creating a Wagyu beef enterprise, why Millennials are their best wine customers, and navigating through climate change and extreme California weather. Plus: Is AI technology eliminating the romance in winemaking?

The Living Kitchen | Marni Elyse Katz | November 2022

Three Napa Valley Vineyards; Abreu Vineyards, Palmaz Vineyards, and Rudd Estate; have properties and processes that are as distinctive as their wines.

A Cut Above

Written by Claire McArthur | Photography by Nicola Majocchi | Oct 12, 2022 | Original Article

Family-run ranch raises grass-fed wagyu in the High Sierra:  In the lush Genesee Valley at 3,500 feet elevation, black-horned cows graze in chest-high grass, with the granite peaks of the Sierra Nevada looming behind them. Surrounded by the Plumas National Forest, roughly 30 miles southeast of Lake Almanor, the historic Genesee Valley Ranch is a family-run operation with roots dating back to California’s Gold Rush. Today, the Palmaz family — known for its eponymous winery in Napa Valley — is taking the same fusion of tradition and technology used to create their estate cabernet to raise, harvest, and sell their grass-fed wagyu beef.

“Let’s make beef worthy of our wine,” says Florencia Palmaz, co-founder and partner of Palmaz Vineyards, about her family’s mission of revitalizing Genesee Valley Ranch. “Let’s take the same model of what we call estate growing in the wine industry — our wine doesn’t leave the property, not for a minute, until it’s fully finished and ready for consumers — and take on that task in the beef world. We call it ‘estate beef.’”

Navigating Abroad: Interview with Christian Palmaz

Season 2 | Sep 22, 2022

Lisa speaks with Christian Palmaz about using data to make the perfect glass of wine, conserve water, and free up winemaker’s time to make art!