Dave Guffy

Dave Guffy has created wines expressive of Napa Valley land and terroir with The Hess Collection for over two decades. In 1999, Founder Donald Hess hired Guffy as Director of Winemaking where he began learning about the nuances of mountain Cabernet Sauvignon while continuing his love for crafting Chardonnay. As a winemaker, he places special emphasis on what happens in the vineyards, where he spends time year-round. “I have a strong belief in making wine in the vineyard, working each site to absolutely maximize flavors,” says Guffy. “I like the challenge of using my intuition and gut feel to flow with each season and the unpredictable nature of farming (weather) to deliver the best grapes to start each vintage. In other words, work with each season, not against it.”

A Northern California native, Guffy spent many summers with his grandparents on their 500-acre Kansas farm where his curiosity for agriculture began. This inspired his

studies as a Food Science student at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo where he discovered his newly found admiration for wine. He later transferred to Fresno State’s Enology and Viticulture program where he worked every harvest at Corbett Canyon and stayed on after graduation for an additional 3 years. Later he joined the Kendall Jackson family as the winemaker for Cambria Estate Winery located on the Central Coast of California; there he honed his skills making Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and introduced Syrah to the Tepusquet Bench.

These days, Dave is focused on replanting the Mount Veeder estate vineyards to set the stage for the next twenty years. When he’s not tending to the vines, he enjoys golfing, traveling with his wife, and cooking new dishes without a set recipe — chasing flavor is forever his greatest adventure.