SEVEN STONES WINERY

Seven Stones winery is a 45-acre winery estate in St. Helena, nestled in the hills just above the Meadowood Resort. We originally purchased the undeveloped plot as a family estate, planting a single acre of Cabernet Sauvignon in 1996 and building a jewel-box winery with recreational family winemaking in mind.

Over time, it became evident that the property, surrounded by some of Napa’s most prized vineyards, possessed the well-drained, rocky, volcanic soils that could produce world-class wine. Aaron Pott was hired as winemaker, while the Pinã Vineyard Management was hired to tend the vines. Our inaugural release, the 2005 Seven Stones Cabernet Sauvignon, received high critical praise and sold out quickly, coaxing us to add a few more Lilliputian vineyard blocks and upgrade the winery so that we could coax the highest possible quality out of our exceptional “terroir.” In 2014, we brought on Michael McMillan as our General Manager. With just over 3 acres of certified organically farmed vines planted, we intend to remain a small, estate winery, with no more than 500 cases produced each year. We are proud to share the results with you.

Ronald C. Wornick is best known for founding The Wornick Company, which produced Meals Ready to Eat (MREs,) a next-generation version of C-Rations, for the U.S. Military and revolutionized food options to servicemen in the field. Together with his wife, Anita, they began actively collecting master artisan pieces in the 1980s made from wood, ceramics, glass, fiber, and metal, creating one of the premier contemporary craft collections in the world. Among the Wornicks’ various philanthropic activities are “quality of life” causes supported through The Wornick Family Foundation, as well as the Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School, based in Foster City, California, the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, and UCSF Medical Research.

Master Sommelier Gilles de Chambure introduced us to Ron Wornick through the Napa Valley Reserve. We asked Ron if we could do an event for the Navy SEALs on the property. Ron said that he created MRE Meals (Meals Ready-to-Eat) for the military and he would be honored to have these guys show up. The event was a breathtaking, unforgettable experience. Admirals, SEALs and Medal of Honor recipients attended and so did my son in-law his new-born baby, Harlan. The Wornick family could not have been more gracious and generous as hosts generous. This photo is Ron with my grandson Harlan.

As a previous chef and restaurant owner, Michael McMillan brings extensive knowledge of wine, Napa and hospitality to Seven Stones. Through multiple trips to the Napa Valley as a restaurant owner prior to locating here in 2011, Michael has experienced the wine industry from the side of the consumer, the retailer and the insider. He is our main point of contact for both the new and long time supporters of our endeavor and handles all the day to day non-winemaking aspects of Seven Stones.

As a teenager, Aaron began conducting fermentation experiments in his parents' garage. This led to him to earn a Fermentation Science Degree at the University of California, Davis, and then a degree in Viticulture from the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, France. In 1990, he became assistant winemaker for John Kongsgaard at Newton in Napa Valley. Influenced by internationally-acclaimed wine consultant Michel Rolland, Aaron moved to Bordeaux in 1993, where he was winemaker at both Château Troplong Mondot and Château La Tour Figeac in St. Emilion until 1998. Upon returning back to the States, Aaron worked at Quintessa and St. Clement before striking out on his own.

While Aaron currently consults for several high-end wineries around the world, he is the exclusive day-to-day winemaker at Seven Stones. Aaron, along with his wife, Claire, also makes wines under his own Pott label. In 2012, Food and Wine Magazine named Aaron one of their “Winemakers of the Year."