Beaulieu Vineyard Barrels Getting Prepared for Harvest

Winemaking is our Passion

For more than 100 years, Beaulieu Vineyard has set the benchmark for rich, classic Napa Valley wines. We honor our exceptional fruit with meticulous winemaking processes that reveal the distinctive varietal personality of the grapes.

Trevor Durling, Chief Winemaker

Trevor grew up in Sonoma County, at the heart of Northern California’s wine country, where wine was a staple at his family dinner table.

Following high school, Trevor’s intention was to join the ROTC program at the University of California, Davis, and become an officer in the US Air Force, as his grandfather, a 37-year air force veteran, had done. After a brief time as an undergraduate at Davis, however, he enrolled in an introduction to winemaking class and was immediately enamored.

Trevor realized that winemaking united his love of agriculture, science, and cuisine, and transferred to the UC Viticulture and Enology program. After a harvest internship at the Russian River Valley’s Sonoma-Cutrer winery in 2003, Trevor worked two consecutive seasons for Gloria Ferrer winery’s sparkling wine harvests. In late 2005, Trevor joined Moon Mountain Vineyard, a small, well-regarded organic vineyard in Sonoma Valley.

“Early in my winemaking career, I recall trying the 1968 Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon with a family friend. It not only left an indelible impression on me, but it shaped the path of my career and the wines I wanted to create."

Trevor Durling, Beaulieu Vineyards Winemaker

In March of 2010, Trevor joined Provenance Vineyards and Hewitt Vineyard as assistant winemaker, where his first contributions were integral to Hewitt Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 earning Wine Spectator’s 2013 #4 Wine of the Year.

In early 2015, Trevor succeeded founding winemaker Tom Rinaldi and previous winemaker Chris Cooney in his appointment to lead winemaker. Trevor worked hand-in-hand with Tom and Chris, crafting highly regarded wines that continued a rich winemaking legacy until June 2017, when he took the mantel of chief winemaker at Beaulieu Vineyard.

At Beaulieu Vineyard, Trevor presides as only the fifth chief winemaker in the winery’s 120-year history, following esteemed previous chief winemaker Jeffrey Stambor. Respectful of and humbled by Beaulieu Vineyard’s storied history, Trevor joins the winemaking team keenly aware of his role shaping the winery’s future.

“While Beaulieu’s legacy honors the marriage between innovative technology and gentle, traditional winemaking methods, we’re entering a new chapter. It is an exciting and pivotal time. We have invested significantly in recent years to improve the quality of our visitor’s center, winery, and the reserve cellar, bringing in state-of-the-art tools to help us craft wines of the highest caliber. We are striving every day to raise the bar for ourselves as winemakers.”

Winemaker Trevor Durling Walking in Vineyard

In addition to his career as a full-time winemaker, Trevor currently serves as an informal ambassador for California wine country to Travis Air Force Base, where he educates service members on Napa and Sonoma wine news.

He is an active board member of the Rutherford Dust Society, which produces and supports charity events in the community including Auction Napa Valley, a four-day charity wine event sponsored by Napa Valley Vintners that distributes proceeds to 25 local and strategic initiatives to aid community health and children’s education.

In his free time, Trevor is an avid golfer, snowboarder, enthusiastic fan of the San Francisco Giants, and has a passion for music, playing piano, trumpet and guitar. He also loves to barbeque, cook at home and explore wines of the world.

Megan Twitchell, Winemaker

The day she turned 21 Megan landed a job in a tasting room, then an internship in a harvest cellar. She fell in love with winemaking, and hasn’t looked back since. Now, as assistant winemaker at Beaulieu Vineyard, she enjoys seeing wines that reflect the unique terroir. “Wine is dependent on the seasons and each year brings something similar, yet different. It’s an incredible reminder at how big Mother Nature is. I love that we’re able to capture that in a wine glass.”