Winemaker
Tom Farella
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Napa, California, United States
i. Biography
Tom Farella has served as Winemaker / Farm Manager at Farella Vineyard in Napa since 1991, and the work has stayed centered on one practical aim: preserving the place. That kind of stewardship gives the role its weight. It is not built on declarations; it accumulates through consistency, season after season.
The Path
Training at University of California, Davis (1983) gave Tom Farella a technical base for the decisions that followed. He also came up in Old-school Cabernet with super cellaring potential, a style that shaped his standards for structure and longevity. Since 1991, that foundation has carried into his work at Farella Vineyard, where the emphasis has stayed on continuity, care, and a close reading of what the vineyard already offers.
The Work Today
Since 1991, the combined Winemaker / Farm Manager role has required Tom Farella to move between vineyard and cellar with the same attention to detail. The signature remains Old-school Cabernet with super cellaring potential, which places the wines in a register of patience, structure, and long view. The logic is straightforward: do the work with restraint, keep the site intact, and let the vineyard’s character show through over time.
Career - Winemaker — Farella Vineyard, Coombsville AVA, Napa Valley (1991–present)
Signature
Tom's signature wines include Farella Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and Farella Napa Merlot. Together, they sit in the style most closely associated with his name: measured wines with vineyard focus and a classic backbone. At Farella Vineyard, that kind of definition matters as much as consistency, and the labels reflect a house approach built around form, identity, and repetition done well.
In Their Words “I wanted to work with artisans, not corporations.”
Acclaim
The formal credential is the 1983 degree in Viticulture and Enology; the career marker is continuity across one Napa vineyard from 1991 onward. Put together, they point to a winemaker whose standing rests on staying with a place long enough to know it well, protect it, and work within its limits rather than against them.
FAQ What is Tom Farella's current role? As of 2026, Tom Farella is Winemaker/Farm Manager. What is Tom Farella known for? Old-school Cabernet with super cellaring potential.
