Hyde de Villaine was founded in 2000 as a family partnership between Larry Hyde, one of Napa's most respected viticulturists, and Aubert de Villaine, longtime co-director of Burgundy's Domaine de la Romanée-Conti — the two are related by marriage through Hyde's cousin, Pamela. Their shared winemaking heritage spans over 400 years.
Built around Hyde Vineyard, a legendary Carneros site whose fruit has long supplied top California producers like Kistler and Paul Hobbs, HdV applies Burgundian precision to Napa terroir: native-yeast fermentation, restrained new oak, and minimal intervention, prioritizing structure and tension over flamboyance.
Production stays deliberately small, capped around 5,000 cases across Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a red Bordeaux blend. That discipline has paid off critically — the 2019 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay ranked No. 3 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of the World, and the 2021 vintage landed No. 2 on James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of the USA, cementing HdV's place among Napa's most quietly serious estates.
