Trinchero Napa Valley winemaker Landon Donley brings deep wine knowledge and a wide breadth of industry experience to his role at the family-owned winery. With a career spanning fine winemaking at esteemed Spottswoode Estate Winery and Buccella in Napa Valley, to fine wine sales at distributor Southern Wine & Spirits in Santa Monica, Landon developed his interest in and passion for the industry first-hand.
Landon got his first taste for wine while growing up in Northern California’s foothills. After earning his bachelor’s degree in business management from California State University–Long Beach, Landon set out to deepen his wine knowledge with first and second level Court of Master Sommelier certifications along with a certified specialist of wine accreditation from the Society of Wine Educators. Equipped with those credentials, Landon set out to explore international winegrowing regions and gain a greater understanding of both Old and New World winemaking styles.
Upon returning home, Landon was drawn to the art of winemaking and earned a second bachelor’s degree in enology from California State University–Fresno. After graduation, his love for wine and travel inspired him to join the Molly Dooker winery team in Australia. Landon then returned to his home state of California, where he began working with Spottswoode Estate as a harvest intern in 2010. Spottswoode promptly recognized his talent and promoted him to assistant winemaker in March 2011. In 2015, Landon joined the Buccella team as winemaker where he crafted the bold, layered wines for which the winery is known.
Landon joined the Trinchero Napa Valley team in 2020 and brought with him tremendous talent and a fresh take on the label’s valley floor and mountain fruit sourced from their coveted estate Napa Valley vineyards. He currently resides on Howell Mountain with his wife—a fellow winemaker—and his family.
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