Our Team

Meet the team behind St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery.

Emma Swain

CEO

Emma Swain has more than 20 years of experience in the wine industry. Emma received her Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture and Managerial Economics from the University of California at Davis. She started in finance, becoming a certified public accountant before joining Niebaum-Coppola Winery, working with the team to reunify the historic Inglenook properties. She then worked at Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery for thirteen years, as Chief Operating Officer helping reposition the fourth-generation family winery from its high-volume table wine to one of a respected high-quality producer. When Emma joined St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery and became CEO in 2009, she was impressed with the strengths of the people, the matchless property and the rich history of the estate. She has worked throughout the wine industry including domestic and international sales strategy, hospitality, finance, administration and human resources. Emma is a past chair and currently serves on the Board for the Wine Market Council and Visit Napa Valley.  She is a past board chair of the Napa Valley Vintners and still serves on multiple subcommittees and has worked with numerous nonprofits as a volunteer and board member.

Michael Scholz

Vice President Winemaking and Vineyards

Michael Scholz is a sixth-generation winemaker from Australia’s famed Barossa Valley. His storied career began on his family’s estate, the Willows Vineyard, in the 1980s. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Oenology in 1985 at Roseworthy, Australia’s first agricultural college (now part of the University of Adelaide), and traveled the world honing his craft in France, South Africa and the United States.

He has spent over a decade at St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery challenging himself year after year to express the full potential of the vineyards’ worth of exquisite estate fruit. Scholz firmly believes that great wine begins in the vineyard, so when he first arrived at St. Supéry in 1996, he worked closely with the vineyard manager on an extensive replanting project to unite blocks with their ideal varietals, focusing on the classics of Bordeaux. Thanks to his vision, a signature style developed that has captured the imagination of wine lovers around the world. The Sauvignon Blanc has become a California benchmark, and in 1998, Scholz created the gracious Bordeaux inspired blend, Élu, with renowned wine consultant Michel Rolland. Of his friend and colleague, Rolland says, “Michael Scholz is on my list of great winemakers from around the world.”


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