The Robledo Family story

The Robledo family’s involvement in the wine industry dates back to the 1940s when the United States and Mexico collaborated on the Braceros labor program. Initiated during World War II in 1942 due to labor shortages, Mexican men and women were brought to the US from agricultural regions in Mexico. For more information, click here.

Two generations of Robledos were among those who arrived in the 1940s. This group of pioneers included Vanessa’s great-grandfather, Luis, and his sons. They lived in a labor camp in Healdsburg, California, and cultivated fruit trees and grapevines in the surrounding fields. By the 1950s, the Robledo family earned a reputation as master grape grafters in the wine industry. They took pride in being laborers during the post-prohibition era and were witnesses to the commercialization of wine.

In 1984, Maria and Reynaldo purchased their first property in Napa – Los Carneros. They planted 11 acres of Pinot Noir grapes. It was on that land where their nine children learned how to cultivate the vineyards. 

In the 1990s, Maria and Reynaldo invested the equity of their first vineyard into new purchases in Sonoma and Lake counties. They also founded a vineyard management company that helps develop vineyards for other landowners in Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties. 

By 1997, their oldest daughter, Lorena, married a winemaker, Rolando Herrera. With his help, Maria and Reynaldo began making wine under their family name. They started with 100 cases that grew to an astounding 20,000 by 2007 under the presidency of their daughter, Vanessa. 

Today, all nine of Maria and Reynaldo’s children have expanded into other wine industry businesses. The entire family is still involved in some form in the wine industry and in agriculture.