Amy Warnock
Chief Viticulturist
The Grape Guru
Amy Warnock brings to Stagecoach Vineyard a hard scientific background – the necessary foundation to the art of grape-growing and winemaking – as well as the practical experience of growing ultra-premium wine grapes. Her solid training in both viticulture and environmental science includes a master of science degree from UC Davis and six years’ experience as a wine lab technician and staff scientist for two environmental firms. Before joining our team, she worked with Stagecoach Vineyard for eight years as viticulturist and grape buyer at Pahlmeyer Winery – one of our largest and most respected clients.
“This land has the best and most extreme terroir in the Napa Valley.
Between its soils, slopes, and cultural practices, Stagecoach is the example of what a premium, world-class vineyard can be.
It is Amy who directs all practices in the field, vineyard redevelopment, and harvest picks of our 17 different varietals for over 75 different wineries. As viticulturist to such a large and varied property, she is fluent in the language of extremes such as aspect, slope, direction, and how they all combine to create ultimate ripening potential.
Each of the vineyard’s 175 blocks is farmed by hand to accommodate their diverse terroir and express different fruit profiles depending on each client’s needs. Amy needs to understand exactly what style each winemaker is looking for, to know which farming practices are required in that block to achieve that style, and to instruct the crew to execute each plan. “I was always impressed with this site and the team’s farming practices,” Amy says. “Depending on the vineyard block, there’s something for everyone here, and the wine scores are proving that.”