Art & Judd Finkelstein

Our CrewProfessional winemakers at your service

Art Finkelstein

With over 30 years of winemaking experience, Art is still amazed by the process.

“To take grape vines, farm them to produce the highest possible quality fruit and then transform them into wine . . . this gets me closer to that elusive ‘higher power’ than anything else. It is the most challenging of art forms, and I will never cease to be amazed by it.”

After founding Whitehall Lane Winery in the early ‘80s, grape growers began seeking Art’s help in making small lots of wine to showcase the quality of their vineyards for prospective grape buyers. Before long, consumer enthusiasts from around the country sought out Art’s services to produce their own ultra-premium wines - and in 1992 Napa MicroCrush was born.

An accomplished architect, musician and ceramicist, Art has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle as a master winemaker and chef.

Judd Finkelstein

Raised in the Napa Valley by vintner parents, winemaking is in Judd’s blood. From pruning to picking, punching to pressing, Judd is involved in every facet of winemaking.

A graduate of The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University, Judd returned to California to study winemaking at UC Davis and Napa Valley College. And both skill sets are clearly apparent in the many types of communications required in a thriving winery and custom winemaking facility.

Don’t miss Judd’s popular video series, Judd’s Enormous Wine Show.

Kenn Vigoda

Originally from Michigan, Kenn earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and focused his graduate studies on organic chemistry.  A ‘lifer’ at Raymond Vineyards for 24 years, Kenn worked his way up from lab manager to long-time winemaker for this well-known winery – giving him tons of experience with estate and non-estate fruit, and the minutiae of winemaking.

But that was then and this is now.  Kenn’s a truly integral part of the Judd’s Hill MicroCrush family.  And, he takes great joy in sharing his skill with others, as you’re sure to see when you join us on your winemaking journey.

Click here for Kenn’s video-blog.