Aum Cellars

Aum Cellars is the Napa Valley label of Hoffmann Family Winery, a small family estate on Monticello Road where Pete Hoffmann brings decades of vineyard work to the bottle. Hoffmann came up through the growing side first — planting vineyards on the Central Coast, overseeing holdings for Andy Beckstoffer, managing vineyards at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, and teaching viticulture at Napa Valley College — and that background shows in the way Aum talks about wine. The focus stays on farming: organic practices, dry farming, native-yeast fermentation, and wines left unfined and unfiltered.

The range centers on Napa reds, especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, with estate fruit tied to Coombsville, Atlas Peak, Mt. George, and Calistoga. A few bottlings reach beyond Napa, including Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and Sierra Foothills Grenache. The most talked-about wines are the allocation-only single-vineyard Cabernet trio from the 1.75-acre Smoking Man Vineyard on Mt. George, sold under names like Sexy Bastard and Sexy Bitch. Visiting feels more like time at a working winery than a polished Napa hospitality set piece. Tastings are private and by appointment only, usually with Hoffmann himself, and can include a vineyard walk, cellar time, and current plus library wines. The cellar stays cool, groups are intentionally small, and the whole experience is built for people who would rather meet the person making it than stand at a crowded bar.