With 23 Harvest Seasons Under His Belt, Ignacio Is Equally An Expert At Growing Grapes As He Is At Making Beautiful Wines -- A Unique Combination Of Talents Rarely Found In Napa Valley.

Emigrating from Mexico at the age of 17 with little more than his determination, can-do-spirt and raw talent, Ignacio Blanca blazed his own path in the world of Napa Valley wines. Ignacio has established a reputation for crafting notable high-quality wines of different varietals but his true winemaking passion is Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the wine that sparked his interest in wine. All of the wines he crafts not only show off his skills but also his philosophy for winemaking. Ignacio is a farmer first and firmly believes that the best wines are always made in the vineyard, not the cellar and what’s more, a great vineyard is where a great wine must start. Not surprising then, he places the vineyard at the heart of winemaking. That means knowing every inch of the vineyard and crafting wine with minimal intervention to allow the qualities of the fruit and the characteristics of the vineyard to shine through the wine. Ignacio’s wines consistently rank among the most notable wines produced in Napa Valley.

More Than A Consultant Winemaker… a driving force behind Poggi Wines

In 2009 Ignacio joined us in our hobby as Consultant Winemaker. Over the last 6 harvests, under Ignacio’s unwavering focus and dedication, we have taken our wines to a new level. In the process “hobby” fell out of our vocabulary as we realized we were developing an exceptional wine that was ready for the ‘world stage’. While superior quality cabernet grapes grew in abundance in the neighboring Calistoga vineyards, it took Ignacio to tap the potential of our Twin Palms Vineyard for cultivating cabernet grapes. And, while we were proud of the wines we were crafting it was Ignacio’s talent and genuine enthusiasm for the final product that was the true motivation to launch Poggi Wines.

Ignacio shows us every day that the path to success comes through hard work, determination and a heart and mind that wants to be the best at what he does.

A proud first-generation immigrant from Mexico, he acquired his deep knowledge of winemaking from the ground up, working in the fields and cellar by day, taking classes at night.  While he is proud to be among a very small distinguished group of Mexican American winemakers in Napa Valley, he would rather be recognized for the wines he crafts and the high standards he sets for himself as an example to others.