Our Journey... Our Team...
We first fell in love with the Napa Valley in the 1980's and vacationed there often. On one of our many trips, we decided that someday we would make a wine (it would be cabernet sauvignon) and it would be called Jean Edwards Cellars (our two middle names). Although John's background is in food science, we needed to learn how to make wine. So, we started taking courses from UCal Davis and others. From 1997 to 2003 we made wine by trucking in grapes (not juice) from California to a small New Jersey winery and during that time, we experimented with different types of yeasts, barrels and even closures (cork, composite, etc.) to learn how each can influence the finished wine.
In 2004 we made the leap to make our dream come true in Napa Valley. We started our small production, family-owned winery and named it Jean Edwards Cellars. Still based in New Jersey and having busy corporate jobs, we found our winemaker (Kian Tavakoli), were able to contract for some cabernet sauvignon fruit from Stagecoach Vineyard® and the rest is history.
We like to say we hit the lottery twice with our first release - Wine Spectator Magazine contacted us and asked us to submit samples of our first wine (the wine was awarded 92 points). A few months later, Wine Spectator named the winery as “one of twenty new cabernet producers to watch – exciting new wines that could be the next cult wines” in their annual cabernet issue. Some other notable wineries on that list included Scarecrow, Blind Justice, Kapcsandy, Ghost Block, and Round Pond. While this publicity certainly helped build the brand, we were still working in the corporate world and grew the Jean Edwards Cellars business slowly.
Fast forward to today, the Jean Edwards Cellars portfolio now includes multiple cabernet sauvignon wines, cabernet franc, malbec, merlot, petite syrah, syrah, rose', sauvignon blanc and chardonnay.
In 2021 we opened the Napa Valley tasting room - where you can taste these highly sought-after, limited production wines. The tasting room is located at The Tasting Barn near Silverado Resort at 1021 Atlas Peak Road in Napa - just minutes from downtown Napa.
Meet Our Team
Karen and John Troisi - owners
Born and raised in New Jersey, we fell in love with the Napa Valley in the 1980's. It was a dream to someday produce a wine from this beautiful valley and in 2004 we launched Jean Edwards Cellars with one wine (cabernet sauvignon) from Stagecoach Vineyard®. With that first release we hit the lottery twice as the wine and new brand caught the attention of Wine Spectator Magazine. Our first release was rated 92 points and a few months later, Wine Spectator named Jean Edwards Cellars as "one of twenty new cabernet producers to watch that could be the next cult wines" (we had some pretty good company on that list including Scarecrow, Kapcsandy, and Round Pond).
We both worked for a major International CPG company (John's background is in R&D/Operations while Karen's is in Sales/Marketing). After lengthy corporate careers, we both left the corporate world behind to focus solely on our wine business.
We both come from humble roots and are proud to have built a brand that represents consistency and quality, while offering wines at an approachable price point.
Often asked “what’s the Jean Edwards style of wine?” Our response with a wink and a smile “wines that will pair well with food… wines that you will want to open and share with good friends… but you’ll want to keep the bottle at your end of the table.”
We hope you'll visit us during your next trip to Napa - Cheers!
Karen and John
Kian Tavakoli - winemaker
Kian Tavakoli has been with the winery every step of the way. He is a graduate of UCal Davis and has nearly 30 years of winemaking experience. Kian started his career at Opus One and after 4 years moved on to Clos du Val where he headed up the red wine reserve program under the mentorship of Bernard Portet. After 8 years at Clos du Val, in 2004 Kian started working with smaller wineries - and the timing was perfect (as Jean Edwards Cellars was being launched).
Kian works closely with our growers and helps bring to life the vision that we have for each wine. The wines should demonstrate a sense of place, show consistency in style yet let the vintage shine through.
He is also the coach of Napa High's swim team, a martial arts black belt, and an avid Star Wars fan. Kian and his wife (Erika) have three children, several fur kids, and live in Napa.
We are proud to call Kian our winemaker, friend and colleague.
Dan Pastore - new business development
We welcomed Dan to our JEC team in the Spring of 2023. Dan is a seasoned wine veteran and has worked both on and off premise in selling and buying fine wines. Most recently, Dan headed-up the Fine Wine Department at King's Foods in Short Hills, NJ.
Our good friends, Dan and MaryLou, enjoy spending time with family and their grandkids. They love to travel and also share a mutual love of good music, good food, and great wine.
Jessica Saldana - tasting room manager
You'll be greeted with a warm smile and welcomed into our tasting room by Jessica. She leads a strong team that will share their knowledge of wines and love of wine country with you.
Jess started her wine career at Naked Wines before moving to PureCru Napa Valley as a tasting room associate. She first poured our wines at the "Wines on First" tasting collective in downtown Napa. When we opened our own tasting room at the Sonoma Plaza, Jess became our tasting room manager and heads-up our tasting room team at our current location in Napa.
Jess is a proud mom to her son (Maddox) and daughter (Harlow). She is also an avid hiker and Oakland A’s fan.
Barbara Stauder - tasting room associate
Strike up a conversation with Barb and you'll feel like you've known her forever - and you're sure to make a new friend. Born in New York and raised in Miami, Barb is a former flight attendant - as you can probably guess she and her husband (Bob) love to travel!
Barb and Bob moved to wine country over 14 years ago and she joined our team at our prior location in Sonoma. Barb has worked in the wine industry for the past 13 years - prior to joining us, she worked at Cline Cellars. Barb loves to travel, garden and we've been told she's pretty good at bocce too! In 2024, Barb marked her 5th anniversary as part of the JEC Team.
Karie Hays - tasting room associate
Karie joined our team in 2021 and has a well-rounded wine background having previously headed up the wine program at the Sonoma Cheese Factory along with positions at Beringer and Andretti wineries in Napa Valley.
Karie holds her WSET-1 wine certification and she's constantly learning about the world of wine. Ask her where our wines come from and she'll tell you all about the vineyards, soils and even some winemaking techniques!
In her leisure time, Karie and her husband (Alan) enjoy seeking out new wineries, listening to live music and spending time with their children and grandchildren. Karie also enjoys taking walks with Bella (her grand dog).
Jack Dennis - tasting room associate
Jack joined us in the Spring of 2021, after working for several years as a wine educator at Andretti Winery in Napa.
Jack has been a great addition to our team and he's our local expert (he and his wife Marilyn live locally in Napa). So, if you need a suggestion on where to go or where to eat - he's your guy!
When Jack is not at the tasting room you just might see him around Napa with his faithful sidekick - Gerty. Gerty is a bulldog that Jack and Marilyn rescued a few years ago and she just loves to go everywhere with her dad! If you're lucky, you might even see Gerty at the tasting room.
Chrissie Stauss - tasting room associate
Chrissie previously worked as a tasting room host at Madonna Winery in Carneros and joined our team in May, 2024. She knows our wines well - Chrissie and her husband have been members of our wine club for some time. Chrissie lives locally in Napa so don't hesitate to ask her for where the locals like to go for dinner (as long as you can keep a secret).
Winery Dogs - The Boys...
