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Our Story
For so many Italian families, traditions are important. For the Belmonte family, the owners of VJB Vineyards and Cellars, that’s most certainly true, and it’s those treasured traditions combined with the relaxed California lifestyle they’ve come to love that they share with guests to their winery since 2003.
The seeds of owning a winery were sown in the late 1990s when the family owned Caffe Portofino, a popular restaurant in downtown Santa Rosa. Patrons loved Maria Belmonte’s food and chatting with Vittorio and his sons Henry and Victor who ran the front of the house. As Henry and Victor watched diners enjoy wine with their meals they had an idea to start making their own wine to sell at the restaurant.
The brothers made their first harvest of Cabernet grapes in 1999, but before that wine was ever bottled, Victor passed away unexpectedly. Though filled with grief, Henry, along with his parents, was determined to keep his younger brother’s memory and passion for making wine alive. VJB Vineyards and Cellars—named for Victor Joseph Belmonte— was born.
www.jolenesells.com