Pronounced "she-ahn-dri." Remember that. Because when Coombsville finishes its slow, inevitable ascent to the top tier of Napa Valley appellations — and it will — you'll want to say the name correctly.
Ten minutes from downtown Napa. You'd never know it. The road narrows and climbs into the hills bordering the 850-acre wilderness of Skyline Park. The manicured tasting rooms of the valley floor disappear. Hillside vines, volcanic soils, cooling bay air that extends the growing season weeks past the rest of the appellation — and a family that has been farming this land since before anyone outside Napa had heard of Coombsville.
This is Sciandri Family Vineyards. And if you haven't been, you're missing one of the most interesting wine experiences in the entire valley.
Ron and Roberta Found Something
Ron and Roberta Sciandri were born and raised in South San Francisco — Italian heritage, generations deep. In the late 1980s, they stayed in a small motel in Napa Valley, the Wine Valley Lodge, and fell in love with the region while renovating and running it. After years of searching, they settled in Coombsville. Bought 20 acres. Planted their first vineyard. Named it Sciandri Family Vineyards because that's what it was.
Ron planted his first Cabernet Sauvignon in 1999. For the first several years he grew fruit and sold it to other winemakers — names you've heard of, prestigious labels that folded Sciandri grapes quietly into wines that earned acclaim without attribution. Ron watched. He waited.
In 2006 the Sciandrins released their first wine under their own label. It was exactly what they'd been building toward for seven years.
The Land Does the Work
The dominant soil types are Hambright-Rock outcrop complex and Coombs gravelly loam — stony soils at their highest concentration in the Coombsville AVA. This well-drained, gravelly volcanic soil produces small berries with concentrated flavors. Small berries mean more skin relative to juice — more color, more tannin, more of everything that makes wine worth aging.
The Sciandri hillside vineyards are rocky. The grapes and clonal choices planted on site produce small fruit with concentrated flavors. The Coombsville AVA sits closer to San Pablo Bay than any other Napa AVA, and the bay's cooling influence extends hang time dramatically. Some Coombsville growers pick Cabernet Sauvignon into the first week of November. By that point, the valley floor harvest is a memory.
Ron planted thirty vines of four different Italian varieties in celebration of his North Italian ancestry. Every harvest, his grandchildren helped pick the fruit and add a cluster to each bin from the main vineyard. That detail tells you everything about what this winery is.
Don Baker and the Philosophy of Restraint
Winemaker Don Baker graduated from UC Davis's Enology program in 1980. He has made wine at Joseph Phelps, Vichon, William Hill, Merryvale, and Parducci. He built a winery in Chile for Kendall-Jackson. He then came to Coombsville and found a philosophy that fit: let the wine tell the story, with as little intervention from the winemaker as possible.
In the Coombsville context, restraint isn't passivity — it's confidence. When your fruit comes from hillside volcanic soils with natural drainage, long cool hang time, and concentrated berry character, the winemaker's job is to not ruin it.
The wines that result are structured, layered, age-worthy, and completely honest about where they come from.
Rebecca and the Next Generation
Ron Sciandri passed away in 2015. The winery continues because his daughter Rebecca built it that way. Rebecca Sciandri Griffon was instrumental in obtaining Coombsville's sub-appellation status, granted in late 2011. She was president of the Coombsville AVA Vintners and Growers Association. She is the only full-time employee of the winery she grew up on. Her brothers Ron Jr. and Ryan contribute. Her sons help during harvest.
This is a third-generation operation now.
Rebecca made the wines expand beyond what her father originally envisioned. Ron's position on white wine was resistant. Rebecca wanted a rosé and a Sauvignon Blanc. She presented the idea through winemaker Don, who presented it to Ron as his own. The wines exist. The story is better for it.
The Wines
The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the foundation — 100% estate fruit, pure Coombsville expression, structured for aging but accessible young.
The Coombsville Cuvée blends 65% Cabernet Sauvignon with 35% Syrah. The Syrah adds a savory, spiced dimension that Cabernet alone can't provide.
Nello — four barrels only, named for the man who taught the family what it means to be a good steward of the land — is the wine the family makes for itself first and the public second.
When the 2017 fires swept through Napa and destroyed the Cabernet harvest, Sciandri didn't stop. They turned a crisis into an opportunity, creating a new blend called "E.I." — blending finished wines from different varieties and vintages, using their artistry to achieve a perfect balance.
Why You Need to Visit
You can taste Sciandri by appointment. The appointment typically includes tastings hosted at the family home that doubles as a winery — personal, relaxed, and completely different from the valley floor tasting room experience. At small production levels of 500-800 cases annually, what's in the glass represents the best expression Coombsville can produce.
The valley floor will always be easier to find. But wine country isn't about easy. It's about worth it. Sciandri is worth it.