My job is amazing. This week, I had lunch with Guy Stout, the second Master Sommelier in Texas and the owner of Stout Family Wines. We sat at a sunlit table in the elegant dining room of 61 Osteria in downtown Fort Worth, sipping through his exquisite wines over lunch. (Highly recommend it! Arancini might just be my new favorite appetizer downtown.)

Guy Stout boasts over 30 years of experience working in wine sales for various distributors. His knowledge of wine is unparalleled, and his personality is lively and engaging. It seems he knows someone in every room and has a ready smile and laugh for each of them. Stout initiated his wine brand, Stout Family Wines, in Texas in 1999 before achieving the Master Sommelier title in 2005. Following a decade of less-than-stellar vintages in Texas Stout was ready to move on. According to him, only three out of ten vintages are any good. Spurred by his son, Ian’s encouragement, he launched a wine brand in Napa Valley. The inaugural vintage of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon was in 2011.

The entire family is deeply rooted in the wine business. Stout had his sons work as apprentices in wineries during their summer breaks to provide them with real-world experience. In places like Rombauer. Today, his son Ian remains in the industry in Napa Valley, while his brothers pursue careers in corporate America. Gary and his wife, Kim, handle the day-to-day operations of the business from Houston, partnering with winemaker Tom Rinaldi. Rinaldi, the winemaker behind Duckhorn wines for over twenty years, brings a wealth of experience- he helped create ‘Napa Sauvignon Blanc’ as a category. 

Leveraging shared history and longstanding relationships, Stout discreetly sources some of the finest fruit in Napa Valley. Silently. A few tons here, a few tons there. The wine labels always bear the ‘Napa Valley’ designation, affording Stout the flexibility to adjust his vineyard sources as availability fluctuates. Quantities are limited—only a few barrels of each are produced. The wines are then hand bottled by the Stout family and a group of close friends. You’ll never come across these wines on grocery shelves. Often, they aren’t available year-round as the winery sells out.

Sip through this trio of wines and relish Stout’s tribute to family and Napa Valley.

Cheers,