Crocker & Starr Joins Third Annual Napa in Newport To Save the Lives of Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy   St. Helena, CA, March 2, 2017 – Crocker & Starr will join 30 distinguished wineries for celebration of Napa Valley wines to help save the lives of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The much-anticipated Third Annual Napa in Newport Wine Auction will take place on March 4th at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. Southern California’s premier wine event, Napa in Newport, unites more than 30 renowned vintners and wine enthusiasts to help find a cure for Duchenne, a fatal genetic disease that robs children and young adults of their muscle strength and claims their lives by their mid-20s. All proceeds from the evening will benefit CureDuchenne, the national organization committed to finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.   Crocker & Starr will be pouring its 2015 Sauvignon Blanc and 2014 Cabernet Franc for more than 350 prominent guests, for an incredible night of support for CureDuchenne.   “Crocker & Starr is a small team that is very much like a family and we believe in giving back and helping other families. The reality is that Duchenne could affect someone in our lives at any time and we are grateful to have an opportunity to participate in such an impactful and meaningful event,” said Pam Starr, winemaker and co-proprietor of Crocker & Starr.   Napa in Newport will include a three-course dinner created by renowned Chef Amar Santana of the celebrated Broadway andVaca restaurants. Chef Amar has traveled the world collecting inspiration and accolades, including a position in the final round of Bravo’s Top Chef. His globally influenced menus include unexpected flavor profiles and artful presentations, reflecting his zeal for food and for life. Chef Amar will design an exquisite three-course menu exclusively for the occasion.    Napa in Newport kicks off with a wine tasting reception and silent auction at 4:30 p.m., and includes dinner, wine pairings and live auction. Tables, tickets and sponsorships are available now.  For more information and to purchase tickets visit:www.NapaInNewport.org.   About CureDuchenne CureDuchenne was founded in 2003 with a focus on saving the lives of those with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease that affects more than 300,000 children and young adults worldwide.  With support from CureDuchenne, nine research projects have advanced to human clinical trials.  CureDuchenne also brings physical therapy and standard of care to local communities around the country through its CureDuchenne Cares program. For more information, please visitCureDuchenne.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.   About Crocker & Starr In 1997, Charlie Crocker and Pam Starr established Crocker & Starr on the Crocker Estate in St. Helena, resurrecting a world-class vineyard with roots dating back to the 1870s. The winery handcrafts a small production of exquisite wines from select blocks within the 100-acre vineyard. The vines are cultivated following organic principles, and the clusters are hand harvested, transformed into wine through cutting edge winemaking techniques, blending the best of Old World philosophy and New World fruit. Starr presides over the estate’s wines to capture the essence of the vineyard’s extraordinary terroir. The result is complex and balanced, elegant wines that express the aromatic profile of the Crocker Vineyard.

  Crocker & Starr Winery Celebrates 20 Years Estate St. Helena Property Celebrates with 20-Vintage Vertical and New Winery Facility   St. Helena, CA, September 8, 2016 – Crocker & Starr will mark its 20-year anniversary this September. The estate winery, located in St. Helena, Napa Valley has become renowned for its award winning Sauvignon Blanc (rated the “12th Best Wine in the World” on Wine Spectator’s 2006 “Top 100 List”), its sommelier-favorite Cabernet Franc, and distinctive Napa-style Cabernet Sauvignon. Established in 1996 by San Francisco entrepreneur Charlie Crocker and former Spottswoode winemaker Pam Starr, the winery has spent the last two decades cultivating the land to bring it to its fullest potential, and blending distinct blocks to define their own characteristic style founded on the estate’s deep Napa Valley roots. Though Crocker & Starr was founded twenty years ago, the estate has deep roots in Napa history which date back to 1875, when Irish-born James Dowdell first planted Zinfandel and Riesling there in the then budding wine region of St. Helena.  Dowdell sold grapes from this property (situated on what is now Dowdell Lane) during some of Napa’s most precarious years as a wine region, and can be partly credited for helping to keep the region’s wine industry afloat during at least one of its early economic downturns. The property has since become legend for its singular terroir, characterized by alluvial soils that proved almost unmistakable in any wine produced from its grapes. Today, Crocker & Starr handcrafts a small production of exquisite wines from select blocks within the 100-acre vineyard. Pam sees herself as a “soil-translator,” and her fidelity to the estate’s distinctive terroir has been evident in each wine she has made from the property. The vines are cultivated following organic principles, while the clusters are hand harvested and vinified through cutting edge winemaking techniques, blending the best of Old World philosophy and New World fruit. Between Charlie’s historic estate, that has grown grapes for over 140 years, and Pam’s winemaking expertise, vision, and business acumen, the partners have proved to be a spectacular match.   To celebrate this milestone, Crocker & Starr brought together select sommeliers, wine writers, and thought leaders in the industry for a tasting of the estate’s 20 consecutive vintages of Cabernet Franc and ‘Stone Place’ Cabernet Sauvignon to exhibit the progression of Pam Starr’s winemaking philosophy as well as the evolution of this exceptional estate.  Moderated by Christie Dufault, Associate Professor of Wine and Beverage Studies at The Culinary Institute of America (and renowned sommelier), the vertical elicited an overwhelmingly positive response from attendees, who applauded their trajectory. Fred Swan, San Francisco-based wine writer, educator and authority on California wines and wineries, summarized, “The 17-wine verticals of both Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon were remarkable. From beginning to end, each flight demonstrated Pam Starr’s gift for producing elegant, delicious wines which clearly reflect both the character and quality of Charlie Crocker’s vines and the unique signature of each vintage.” Christopher Sawyer, internationally renowned sommelier, wine educator and journalist, added “As a sommelier and wine writer, I've always believed the true expression of Napa Valley shines in wine made with grapes grown at special sites and handled by winemakers who think like farmers. As proven at the 20-year anniversary tasting, the simpatico relationship between vineyard owner Charlie Crocker, gifted winemaker Pam Starr and the pristine Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes grown on the historic estate near St. Helena make Crocker & Starr such an essential wine brand to follow for decades to come.”   The anniversary fortuitously coincides with the completion of the new, Taylor Lombardo-designed Crocker & Starr winery building, marking 2016 as the first vintage to be 100% vinified on site.  ‘Stone Place’ Cabernet Sauvignon is named for the original Dowdell stone architecture, which also forms the façade of the new winery.  Pam and Charlie officially celebrated its opening at the estate’s annual invitation only ‘Carnivus’ harvest party on Sunday, with over 300 wine club members and friends of the winery. Of the winery’s milestone, Charlie Crocker said, “Pam and I have had a great 20 year partnership, but we are really excited about the future, including the potential of our new winery and the great wines we plan to produce.”   About Crocker & Starr Crocker & Starr is located in the St. Helena appellation of Napa Valley, one mile south of downtown St. Helena. Established in 1996 by San Francisco entrepreneur Charlie Crocker and heralded winemaker Pam Starr, the winery is defined by its commitment to sustainable practices, preservation of Napa heritage, and to expressing the power and balance of the estate’s distinctive soil through its marquee Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Starr’s winemaking approach is a balance of technical know-how and intuition, using the most cutting edge tools to guide her in interpreting the character of the land, while consciously blending unique blocks to bring each vintage to its fullest expression.   For press inquiries and images, please contact Kimberly Charles or Alexandra Fondren at Charles Communications Associates at press@charlescomm.com or 415.701.9463.