O U R T E A M
Lewis Seiler | Proprietor
Lewis Seiler’s background is one prolific in accomplishments in the arts, community, farming and agriculture. He has been blessed to have raised 3 daughters and 2 sons and now has 3 grandchildren.
He began his first love, sculpture, at the age of 13, and graduated from the Tyler School of Fine Arts at Temple University. His work has been shown at Bodley Gallery on Madison Avenue, Cartiers and Tiffanys, and the Museum of Modern Art. Later on he created a foundry and worked with master woodworker Art Carpenter of Espenet. He founded the nonprofit Voice of the Environment which was dedicated to forest preservation and civil liberties and constitutional rights. His love for Arabian horses led him to train and breed them for 20 years. Lewis built an Arabian horse ranch in Bolinas, CA, as well as a 1,000 acre cattle ranch and a horse ranch outside of Yellowstone Ranch in Bitteroot Valley, Montana.
Since 2006 Lewis has cultivated Seiler Estate, a small paradise nestled on Glass Mountain. The estate is filled with vineyards, gardens, an olive grove and orchard. Seiler Estate’s vineyards have been used to make the prized wine of Morlet, Chatteau Boswell and Phillip Cabaud. Lewis Seiler now devotes his time fully to his passion project of Seiler Estate family wines.
Mario Sculatti | Winemaker
Mario grew up in the Napa Valley and is the fourth generation of Sculattis to live in St. Helena since the family came here from Italy over 100 years ago in 1901.
Mario first began his career in the wine world by brokering rare & collectible wines to customers around the globe. Then after working in the commercial wine auction business for five years, in dynamic markets such as Asia, he decided to make wine of his own back home.
All of Mario’s winemaking knowledge and protocols were passed to him by his mentor, the late Denis Malbec, who was the former Cellar Master of Chateau Latour in Bordeaux, France. To this day, Mario carries on Mr. Malbec's exact wine-making techniques during each successive Napa Valley vintage. Mario is the winemaker of several Napa Valley brands, and is the co-founding owner of Evinco winery DAO.
Francisco Alfaro | Vineyard Manager
Seiler Estate vineyards and gardens have flourished under the care of Francisco Alfaro since 2000. He has worked with the land of Seiler Estate since the vines were first planted.
Francisco was born in Atacheo de Regalado, Michoacan, Mexico where he learned to work hard to rise above his circumstances. He immigrated to the Napa Valley in 1992, where he worked at Newton Vineyards and first learned the important skills and techniques to maintain the highest quality grapes. He pursued his formal education in vineyard development, canopy control and pesticide usage at UC Davis, and continued his vineyard work with Criscione Vineyards, who’s grapes have been used in Harlan, Araujo, Ovid, Arrow & Branch and Drinkward Peschon.
In 2006 the Criscione Vineyards was split, selling a portion of the land to Lewis Seiler. Since then Francisco has worked hard to maintain the high standards procedures required for fine quality wine and vineyards.