Frank Family Vineyards and Napa Cellars Winemaker Todd Graff traveled extensively working in wineries in Europe, Australia and California over the last twenty years, before he settled in as a winemaker for the two Napa properties less than 50 miles from his native Petaluma, California. Todd joined Frank Family Vineyards in 2003 and in 2004 also assumed the role as winemaker for Napa Cellars. “It is a great opportunity for me to work with talents like Rich Frank and Koerner Rombauer. They sustain an ultra-high level quality and have some of the most amazing vineyards in the Napa Valley. Rich Frank’s estate property, Winston Hill Vineyard, produces the best Cabernet Sauvignon in Rutherford, and Napa Cellars’ wines offer tremendous value for the quality,” comments Todd. In addition to crafting fruit-driven but always balanced wines for both Frank Family Vineyards and Napa Cellars, Todd loves to make the tasting room-only sparkling wines that are a nod to the heritage of the historic Larkmead property and also dovetail perfectly with his previous professional experiences with sparkling wines.
Todd most recently was the winemaker for Sonoma Creek Winery, where he was able to cultivate strategic relationships with grape growers and was a key component of the winery’s executive management team. Under Todd’s leadership, Sonoma Creek’s production increased by 30%.
Todd has also held posts as Winemaker of Sparkling Wines for Codorniu in Napa (now Artesa) and Assistant Winemaker and Vineyard Manager for Napa sparkling wine house Schramsberg Vineyards, where he also served as technical director and winemaker at Caves Transmontanas in Portugal, a Schramsberg joint venture, as well as assistant winemaker for Stags Leap Winery.
