As a young wine and spirits salesman working for various alcohol distributors in Texas, Guy Stout always had a passion for wine. So, with the support of his wife Kim and his family he bought a small tract of land in the Texas Hill Country in 1999 and established a vineyard/ranch in Blanco Country, and began planting Syrah and Tempranillo grapes. This is how wine became a family affair. The whole family learned about wine from virtually “the ground up”. He took that passion for wine and trained hard to become just the second Master Sommelier in Texas in 2005, and the only Master in Texas for several years, mentoring and training the next wave of Sommeliers. While an impressive feat, as there were only a little over 100 Master Sommeliers in the world at the time, he wanted to do even more with wine.
Ian Stout, one of Guy’s three sons, followed his dad’s passion for wine and moved to California after graduating from Texas Christian University (TCU) to work for various high-end wineries honing his own vintner skills and build a network of winemaking suppliers and growers in Napa Valley.
With over 30 years of selling and now, growing grapes, Guy had built a world-wide reputation as an authority on wine. As a result, he also had built significant relationships with winemakers and growers in Napa Valley. This is how the Stout family began to produce the first vintage of Stout Napa Valley Cabernet, 2011. The family wanted to specialize in affordable Napa Cabernet, aged in French Oak barrels for 18-24 months. By bringing in some old friends with wine industry experience Randy and Karen Porter to assist in building the brand, the Stout’s jump started their dream. With Ian living in Napa, he could help oversee operations while Guy & Kim Stout and the Porters could focus on distribution in Texas and expanding across the country with a focus on restaurants. Stout Family Wines now ship direct to the consumer around the country and many fine dining restaurants and wine shops have added Stout Family Cabernet to their lists.
While the family felt they could produce a respected Napa Valley Cabernet on their own, Ian wanted “expert” help to ensure a high quality, consistent product through each vintage. So, starting with the 2013 vintage, Stout Family Wines partnered with winemaker, Tom Rinaldi. Tom has deep roots and experience in Napa Valley as one of the top winemakers for the last 40 years. He has been the winemaker of well-known labels such as Duckhorn, Hewitt and Provenance. Today, along with being a partner with Stout Family Wines, he is a consultant to various wineries in the US and overseas.
While the vision was to just make a superior Napa Cabernet, consumer demand prompted Tom and the Stout Family Wine team to expand the offerings with the 2014 vintage to include a small lot of Cabernet Franc and in 2019 to add a Sauvignon Blanc. Tom is well known for making one of the best Sauvignon Blanc’s in Napa Valley.