Get to know the family behind Buoncristiani Family Winery
Winemaking at Buoncristiani Family Winery is most definitely a family affair. Brothers Nate, Jay, and Matt Buoncristiani were born and raised in Napa and started making wine as a hobby in their parents’ garage. Once they started winning awards at local wine competitions, they decided to turn their hobby into a business. They registered and bonded the garage and made their first commercial vintage in 1999, and in 2001 they started Buoncristiani Family Winery. Nate Buoncristiani told Club 672, “My title is General Partner which means ‘I help out in a lot of different areas in the winery, but my main focus is sales as the brand ambassador.’” His oldest brother Matt is the General Manager, and their brother Jay is the winemaker.
Making only 4,000 cases (48,000 bottles per year), Buoncristiani Family Winery is located inside caves in the southeastern hills of the Napa Valley, “nine hundred feet directly above Stags Leap Wine Cellars, Regusci, and Chimney Rock,” as Nate explains.
There is very little Malbec growing in Napa Valley, and the majority of it is used in blends. As Nate tells Club 672, Buoncristiani 2019 Napa Valley Malbec is “a rare find.” He goes on, “It is small case production and 100 % Malbec… You don’t see a lot of people making a 100 % single varietal Malbec in Napa Valley.”
When asked what other wines he and his brothers make, Nate told Club 672, “We make Triad Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Rosé, Syrah, and Cab Sauvignon. We make about 14 different wines but eight of the wines we make are wine club exclusive wines that are only available through our wine club.”
Nate continued, “Most of our clients come from word of mouth and we sell about 70 percent of our wines direct to consumer. We welcome visitors and winery tours are available by appointment by booking on www.buonwine.com.”
