OUR STORY
“I want to leave the earth better for my kids. Wine is a luxury good - the pursuit of making it shouldn’t poison the waterways or the air.”
Kira ballottA
Winemaker & Owner
Kira Ballotta began working in wine in 2011, helping Olivia Brion’s founding winemaker, David Mahaffey, wash barrels. While working in the field of Valuation (at an Investment Bank in San Francisco) she had the opportunity to analyze winery M&A projects. She felt drawn to the “going-ons” behind her spreadsheets and came out to Napa to meet a winemaker to learn more. In many ways, she never left.
Thirteen years later Kira has made her way around Napa and Australia learning the craft of winemaking and becoming somewhat obsessed with the history of this 9,000+ year-old craft. Just buy enough wine and she’ll happily give you a presentation on all 9 millenia! She spent four years at Alpha Omega in Rutherford running Enology research. She helped the team earn their 100 point score on the 2018 vintage before taking over as winemaker for Olivia Brion in 2019.
Kira began making wine for Olivia Brion in 2016 with the release of her 2016 Vin Gris of Syrah and much lauded 2016 “Les Vagabondes” Tempranillo. She took over all winemaking for Olivia Brion in 2019, founded Cantadora in 2021 and by 2022 had assumed all ownership for both.
She is dedicated to a business organized around sustainability and gentle practices for the earth. She strives to make wines that are driven by balance and ultimately an age-worthiness that is distinctly Californian.