WHERE CURIOSITY MEETS CRAFT
Every great bottle starts with a question.
Roots Run Deep Winery began in 2005 when founder Mark Albrecht set out to answer a simple question: could great Napa Valley wine be both exceptional and accessible?
Before founding the winery, Mark spent decades working across the wine business, from boutique wine bars and retail shops to high-end restaurants and national retail. He helped build the national wine program at Cost Plus World Market as the company expanded across the country. Along the way, he saw firsthand that many customers wanted to enjoy great wine, but too often the best bottles were either out of budget or made to feel out of reach.
That insight led to the first wine we ever made: Educated Guess Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon. It was created to prove that Napa Valley wine could overdeliver on quality, value, and accessibility without losing the depth or character that make great bottles memorable.
There was no inherited estate and no wealthy investors behind the project. To fund that first vintage, Mark sold his house and nearly everything inside it. Friends and family who believed in the vision helped turn that leap into a working winery.
As that first vintage found its audience, Educated Guess quickly became the foundation of the brand, earning critical recognition and helping shape the broader Roots Run Deep portfolio. Today, that portfolio spans wines defined by site, style, and discovery while staying true to the belief that great wine should feel both special and approachable.
That original leap became the foundation for everything that followed. The name Roots Run Deep reflects what has always mattered here: strong foundations, deep vineyard relationships, and the belief that great wine is built through curiosity, earned knowledge, and thoughtful winemaking.
More than twenty years later, Roots Run Deep still sources fruit primarily from Napa Valley vineyards, while also working with exceptional growers in Sonoma and other regions across California, allowing us to explore how place, farming, and winemaking choices shape what ends up in your glass.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
The Science of Great Wine, Simplified
Great wine lives somewhere between knowledge and intuition.
At Roots Run Deep, we embrace the intersection of science and craft — combining vineyard data, chemistry, experience, and instinct to create wines that are thoughtful, expressive, and approachable.
That philosophy inspired the very first wine we ever produced: Educated Guess Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon.
It quickly proved the idea worked. Over the years the wine has been recognized with Best Buy, Top Value, and Best of Class honors from major wine publications and has even been named the #1 selling Napa Valley Cabernet under $50.
But what matters most to us isn’t the accolades, it’s the community of drinkers who keep coming back to the wine that started it all. Winemaking always involves a bit of uncertainty. Even with all the data and experience in the world, you still have to trust your instincts, make an educated guess, and see where curiosity leads.
That first wine became the foundation of the winery and remains at the heart of the portfolio today.
WINEMAKING
Winemaker Macario Montoya joined Roots Run Deep in 2017 and oversees all aspects of winemaking and vineyard partnerships.
Before joining the winery, Macario spent a decade as Assistant Winemaker at Piña Winery in Rutherford, a respected producer known for its acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignons.
At Roots Run Deep, Macario focuses on balance, structure, and wines that remain true to their vineyard origins. His work bridges scientific understanding with the intuitive craft that defines great winemaking.
He approaches every vintage with the same curiosity that defines the winery itself.
Questions guide the process:
- How does a vineyard site shape Pinot Noir expression?
- What fermentation choices bring out better texture and structure?
- When does instinct matter more than data?
Those questions are part of the exploration that turns great fruit into expressive wines.