The Salexis Wines Journey
A Legendary Winemaker
John Gibson is one of the most known winemakers in the Napa Valley. His legendary reputation has been built over 40 years of distinguished winemaking for some of Napa Valley's well-known vineyards, wineries and families.
John came to the Napa Valley in 1981 after graduating from the University of California at Davis with a degree in Enology. He took his first job as a lab technician and cellar worker at Chappellet Vineyards and Winery. In 1983, John left Chappellet to go to work for Warren Winiarski at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Although he was hired as the laboratory director, he quickly made his way up to cellar master, and ultimately to associate winemaker. He was responsible for the wines of the 1983 to 1993 vintages. While at Stag’s Leap wine Cellars, John was an integral part of producing famous small production lots such as the SLV, Fay, and Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignons.
In 1994, John left Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars to take a position with Vine Cliff Winery as their winemaker. While there he not only made them award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay but also designed and built their winery. It was during this time that John started to make wine for a few smaller, family-owned vineyards. Concluding that the best wines came from the best vineyards, John left Vine Cliff to start his own winemaking consulting business allowing him to work with some of Napa Valley’s best grapes.
While making wine for his consultation clients, John never lost sight of his desire to produce his own wine. In 1998, John cut back on the number of clients he consulted so that he could fulfill his dream. Thus, Salexis Wines was born. Along with Salexis Wines, John continues to make wines for Andrew Geoffrey Vineyard and Four Winds Cellars.
Through his experiences of making fine wine for others and himself, John’s attention to detail and fastidious cellar practices allow him to hone his craft to near perfection. John takes his inspiration from time spent in vineyards, working with vineyard owners, and from a trip he made to the wine regions of France where he learned his new methodology of making wine. It is these practices and events that give John Gibson the international recognition for making exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay.
Our Journey
1977- 1981: John attends the University of California at Davis and graduates with a Fermentation Science degree specializing in Enology. His dream is to someday make his own wine. He accepts a Lab Director/Cellar Worker position at Chappellet Vineyards and Winery.
1983: John accepts a position at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellar as Laboratory Director, Cellarmaster and Assistant Winemaker. Here he begins to hone in on being fastidious and paying attention to details, while working with the wine, doing his part to make Stag’s Leap Wine Cellar’s world class wines.
1985: John becomes Associate Winemaker for Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. With the guidance of world-famous winemaker, Warren Winiarski, John oversees the production of the renowned SLV, Fay and Cask 23 Cabernet Sauvignons as well as all their other wines. John is fortunate to spend time tasting wines on a regular basis with the legendary Father of California Winemaking, Andre Tchelistcheff, the Winemaker of Chateau Petrus in Pomerol, Jean-Claude Berrouet, and renowned wine critic, Robert Parker.
1986: Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars hires Ann to work with owner, Barbara Winiarski, planning and executing special events. Over the course of time, Ann develops an appreciation for finer wines.
1987: John and Ann marry. Ann changes her career to education and becomes an elementary school teacher. Having graduated in 1980 from Colorado State University in Art Education, Ann is able to share her love of ceramics with her students. Although it didn’t take much convincing, Ann inherits John’s dream of making his own wine.
1991: John takes a trip to France where he visits numerous grape growing regions. While there he learns the methodologies of making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in Burgundy, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot in Bordeaux. It is through this trip that John becomes interested in small production vineyard designated wines. He experiences how important it is to work with grape growers in the fields and as a result, make better wines. He finds himself changing his practice of how he makes wine. He becomes a “wine grower” instead of a “winemaker.” This new philosophy allows him to evolve from being a technical, by the numbers winemaker to a wine grower making wine through vineyard involvement and by taste.
1992: John starts his own winemaking consulting business, JRG Winemaking Consultation, which is dedicated to helping small family-owned vineyards make their wines focusing on Cabernet Sauvignon.
1993: Sarah Alexis Gibson is born! Sarah is their only child. A shift in responsibilities takes place. Plans for John and Ann’s own self-made wines adventure is put on hold.
1994: After 11 vintages at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, John accepts a Winemaker’s position at Vine Cliff Winery. Along with making the wine, John designs and oversees the building of their winery. He continues his focus on producing small lots of higher quality wines from some of the best grapes in the Napa Valley.
1998: John leaves Vine Cliff Winery to focus more on his consulting clients and to bring his 20-year dream to fruition. With the blending of their daughter’s first and middle names, Sarah Alexis, they create the brand Salexis Wines. John and Ann choose to produce Merlot as their first wine. John considers Merlot to be the “cute kid sister” of Cabernet Sauvignon due to the soft suppleness of the varietal. Taking into considering John’s wine growing style, Snowden Vineyards is chosen as the fruit source for the Merlot. By being a small volume producer, it allows John and Ann to hand-craft the wines themselves.
2001: Ann’s love for Chardonnay is the catalyst for making a second wine. Turning to longtime friend, Andy Beckstoffer, grapes are procured from his Carneros Lake Vineyard. John crafts his own Burgundian style Chardonnay. Sarah joins Ann as a fruit sorter for the grape harvest. Salexis Wines releases their first wine, 1998 Snowden Vineyard Merlot.
2004: Salexis Wines releases its first Chardonnay, the 2001 Beckstoffer Carneros Lake Vineyard Chardonnay. The last vintage of Snowden Vineyard Merlot is produced due to the unavailability of grapes.
2005: After years of making Cabernet Sauvignon for his clients, John and Ann decide it is time to add a Cabernet Sauvignon to their repertoies. Working with grape growers and their small vineyards, John is able to maintainhis stance on being a wine grower and develop his own Bordeaux style of Cabernet.
2019: Salexis Wines harvests their Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, AND back by popular demand, they add a Merlot again. The Merlot grapes are sourced from the Carneros sub-appellation, and the wine is to be released in the Fall of 2021.
2020: Ann and John continue to hand-craft Carneros Lake Vineyard Chardonnay. Sadly, however, they are unable to harvest their Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Napa Valley Carneros Merlot grapes due to the fires in the valley. The grapes are smoke tainted and deemed unacceptable by Salexis Wines’ standards. John and Ann's daughter, Sarah, takes on the role of overseeing the social media presence for the brand, while working in the wine & hospitality industry.
2021 - Present: The new 2019 Merlot is released! Welcome back! The growing season of 2021 and 2022 deepened our drought. The 2021 grape harvest is the earliest it has ever been. 2023 brought in the third wettest winter/spring in over 40 years. Due to excessive water in the grapevine’s root zone, budbreak was delayed as well as bloom and ultimately harvest by as much as a month.
Our Label
The Salexis Wines label is a derivative from John and Ann Gibson’s three loves; their daughter, the desert, and the ocean. A local artist was able to create a label that combined all of those.
The name, Salexis, is a blend of their daughter’s first and middle names, Sarah Alexis. It was always a thought that the proceeds from the sale of their wines would be her college fund. It was!
Ann was introduced to the ceramic pottery world when she was in 7th grade. Ever since then, one of her life goals was to share the fascination of creating pottery with children. She has a fondness for the ceramics of the southwest Native Americans. Her favorite potter is Maria Martinez from the San Ildefonso pueblo in the New Mexico desert. The black on black pottery that Maria fashioned was her trademark. In 1990, Ann was able to purchase a beautiful piece of Maria’s work. The black piece of pottery on the label is a similar drawing to that pot and represents Ann’s love of the desert.
Growing up on the California coast in Los Angeles, John developed a lifelong love and respect for the ocean. An avid scuba diver, he has dove all over the world, taking pictures of the underwater world. He believes that the most exquisite expression of Mother Nature in a place we aren’t meant to go, is the chambered nautilus. In the background of their label, Salexis Wines has a drawing of a chambered nautilus shell. This represents John’s love of the water.