Soter Vineyards is a culmination of many years of study and preparation. It all started in 1975 when Tony Soter first arrived in the Napa Valley. Since then he has been fascinated with everything wine, from the farming to the winemaking. Tony first founded Etude Wines in 1982 and by the mid-eighties he was consulting for such names as Araujo, Niebaum-Coppola and Shafer, to name a few. After years of mentoring and encouraging some of Napa Valleys most respected growers and winemakers, he ended his consulting role to focus exclusively on Soter Vineyards, Etude, and his family. Tony has since sold Etude and is focusing all of his energy on the Soter label and his new 250-acre ranch. Michelle Soter is the other half of the puzzle. After 10 years in the Advertising and Marketing field, she moved into promoting wine. She spent six years marketing the wines of Moraga Vineyards. During this time she developed a sincere interest in the environmental movement, focusing on nutrition and organic farming. This interest has carried through to the Soter wines. James Cahill has 10+ years under his belt in the Oregon wine industry and is the winemaker at Soter Vineyards. He comes to Soter after a long stint with Beaux-Freres.
