Our Story
The Twomey story begins with a remarkable vineyard, Soda Canyon Ranch, in southeastern Napa Valley. Our family purchased the ranch for Silver Oak's Cabernet Sauvignon, but we soon discovered that the blocks planted to Merlot featured top-flight clones, worthy of a wine on their own. Daniel Baron, Director of Winemaking for Silver Oak, had a passion for Merlot, having worked in both Pomerol and St. Emilion during his career. He’d always hoped to make a California Merlot with a French sensibility, and with fruit from Soda Canyon Ranch, this dream became a reality. Using Ray Duncan’s middle name (his mother’s maiden name), Twomey was established, and in 2003, moved to its current home in Calistoga.
From there, Twomey Cellars evolved as new varietals and vineyard sites were identified. In 2000, we secured a nine-acre vineyard in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, the West Pin Vineyard, which became the heart of our Pinot Noir program. Several years later we acquired a winery in Healdsburg and spent the next year retrofitting it to make it ideal for Pinot Noir. With an eye toward developing vineyard-driven Pinot Noirs we started to identify growers in various regions who specialize in the varietal. Today, with winemaker Ben Cane overseeing the Pinot Noir program and continuing to nurture grower relationships, Twomey offers four Pinot Noirs from top California appellations including Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley and Santa Barbara County. Twomey’s newest offering is Sauvignon Blanc, a crisp, refreshing wine that originates at the family’s estate vineyard in Calistoga.
