SALVESTRIN

In 1932, with Prohibition still casting its shadow over Napa Valley, Giovanni and Emma Salvestrin took a leap of faith—not an unfamiliar act for two immigrants who fled the war-torn hills of their home in Northern Italy just a decade earlier in search of a new beginning.
They purchased a portion of Dr. George Belden Crane’s historic ranch, a vineyard planted in 1859, unknowingly rooting their family’s future in one of Napa’s most historically significant vineyard sites. One year later, as luck would have it, Prohibition was repealed, and the family business found its footing, farming and selling Salvestrin-Dr. Crane Estate fruit to the Napa Valley Co-Op. Together, they raised two children, Nellie and Ed.

Ed learned to farm at his father’s side. By the 1960s, he’d taken over managing the estate, tending the same vines his parents had nurtured, while balancing a career at the St. Helena Post Office. 
While Ed tended the vines, his wife Susanne preserved their stories. A skilled chef and natural born historian, she devoted herself to documenting the vineyard’s history and celebrating the heritage of St. Helena. 

By the time Ed retired from the post office in 1992, he and Susanne were already deeply involved in restoring the historic Crane family home, where the Salvestrins had lived since 1932. Mark and Lynn followed in their parents’ footsteps—Mark serving the community at the post office, and Lynn working alongside Susanne to run the bed & breakfast. But Rich? His pockets were full of dirt, and he intended to keep it that way.

His early passion for farming led him to study viticulture at Fresno State, setting the stage for a career that crisscrossed Napa Valley. Yet, for all his experience, it wasn’t until he met Shannon that he began to imagine a future in winemaking for himself.
1994 was a good year for Napa Valley wine—and a monumental one for Shannon and Rich. The vintage itself was uneventful: a cool spring, a brief June heatwave, and a mild summer. Their personal lives, however, were anything but.

That year, they said “I do,” and also bought a run-down six-acre lot behind the family estate. As if that weren’t enough, Rich pitched Shannon his wildest idea yet: let’s make cab. Shannon, with her signature practicality, called it what it was: “That’s a terrible idea,” she said. Then, with a shrug and a smirk, “I love you. Let’s do it.”
It was classic Rich and Shannon—a partnership grounded in bold ideas and cautious execution. Rich, had spent years dreaming of putting the Salvestrin name on a bottle. Shannon, brought the can-do spirit and sharp organizational mind to turn the dream into a reality.
Their inaugural vintage—a scrappy production of 157 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon—was made at Rombauer’s facilities using fruit they peeled off from what they were already selling to Rombauer. It was a small start, but it was theirs.

By 1998, production had grown to 1,000 cases, and it became clear they couldn’t keep borrowing space. They took yet another leap of faith, breaking ground on a winery of their own, right there on the Salvestrin family estate.

By 2003, Shannon and Rich weren’t just running a winery—they were raising three daughters, Hannah, Emma, and Tessa. 

Now, nearly three decades later, that magic is still alive. Hannah and Emma work alongside their parents, carrying the torch of a legacy built on true grit and a lot of love. A visit to Salvestrin today feels much the same as it did then: a warm welcome, a connection to the earth, and stories told over a glass of wine—perhaps even paired with something picked fresh from the vines.

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