Winemaker
Sean Capiaux
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Angwin, California, United States
i. Biography
Sean Capiaux has led that work since 2001 as president and winemaker, with a cellar philosophy that rejects ornament for its own sake and aims instead for wines that make the site legible. The landscape is not a backdrop in that approach; it is the starting material, the source that has to be read, translated, and carried into the glass.
Coming Up
Training at California State University, Fresno set the baseline, and the sequence of cellar roles that followed reads like a practical education in place and precision. Sean Capiaux served as assistant winemaker at Pine Ridge Winery in Stags Leap District of Napa Valley, then as assistant winemaker at Peter Michael Winery in Calistoga, where the demands of top-tier production would have sharpened both pace and judgment. He then became winemaker at Jordan Winery in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley, and later winemaker at Houghton Winery in outside Perth, Western Australia, extending that work into a different hemisphere and a different rhythm of vineyard life. From 1996–2001, he was winemaker at Macari Vineyards, Jamesport Vineyards and Schneider Vineyards in North Fork of Long Island, NY, a stretch that deepened his command of cool-climate expression and reinforced the site-driven sensibility that would become central to his own work. Today, Sean is founder and winemaker of Capiaux Cellars (since 1994) and president and winemaker of O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery (since 2001). Those parallel posts point to a career built on continuity rather than a single handoff point: one line of work maintained alongside another, with personal production and estate leadership moving in tandem.
Where They Are Now
Since 1994, Capiaux has been founder and winemaker at Capiaux Cellars. It also marks a maker who has kept direct contact with his own ideas while contributing that experience to other estates. The through-line is terroir rather than display. His philosophy is to produce wines that express the unique terroir from which they came. That gives the work a measured authority: the wines are intended to carry the imprint of origin, not cover it. Read that way, Capiaux's career is a sustained exercise in restraint, clarity, and attention to what the vineyard is already offering.
Signature
Sean's signature wines include Howell Mountain 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018 O'Shaughnessy Napa Valley Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, O'Shaughnessy Cabernet, and Capiaux Cellars Pinot Noir. Each fits the same larger aim: wines that favor articulation over theatrics, with mountain, appellation, and variety left enough space to register on their own terms.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Sean
What is Sean Capiaux's current role?
As of 2026, Sean Capiaux is President and Winemaker.
Where did Sean Capiaux train or study?
Sean Capiaux trained at California State University, Fresno.
