DOUG HILL

PROPRIETOR

RYAN HILL

PROPRIETOR

Ryan Hill is the Vice President and Director of Sales for Hill Family Estate. He attended local schools before graduating from Sonoma State University with a degree in Wine Business Strategies. He is very active in the Napa community and currently belongs to Native Sons, Yountville Kiwanis, Yountville Chamber of Commerce and the Next Generation groups. Prior to becoming involved with Hill Family Estate, Hill worked in the hospitality business as a dishwasher, busser, food runner, server and sommelier. Hill has worked at Gordon’s, Bouchon, George’s at The Cove and Nine Ten restaurants. His love for food and wine developed in the restaurant business and has carried through to Hill Family Estate. Ryan resides in Napa with his family, where he continues to grow the business while celebrating his family roots of farming in the Napa Valley.

CARLY HILL-KANAKARIS

PROPRIETOR

Carly Hill-Kanakaris is a Yountville native, and enjoyed growing up in the Napa Valley. She attended San Diego State University and obtained a bachelors degree in Food and Nutritional Science. She also completed her dietetic internship through the University of Delaware, where she became a Registered Dietitian. Carly currently resides in San Diego with her husband, Alex and two dogs (Duke and Dakota), where she works in Pediatric Sales as a Dietitian and Certified Lactation Educator Counselor. When Carly is not working in Pediatric Sales, she helps with Hill Family Estate wine events in Southern California. When Carly is not advocating lifestyle and policy change, she is traveling internationally for both pleasure and for the family business.

KARI AURINGER

WINEMAKER

Kari’s passion for great wines kindled her desire to be a winemaker. After enjoying remarkable bottles at business dinners over the years, a dream began to form. She thought, “If Julia Child could start cooking in her 40s, why can’t I learn to make wine?”
This belief in herself took root and lured her away from Chicago to Napa Valley. She gave up her career in marketing and graphic design to transform her dream into reality. She sought training by enrolling in enology courses at the University of California, Davis and Napa Valley College. She earned degrees in Viticulture and Winemaking as well as in Wine Marketing and Sales while gaining hands on experience assisting some of California’s great winemakers.
Kari describes herself as a hands-on winemaker and immerses herself in all aspects of the winemaking process. She loves rolling up her sleeves and getting her hands dirty and enjoys every step of the process. She revels in walking the vineyard, sampling the clusters, and sorting through the countless details of winemaking. Her true love is sensory analysis, and the infinitely nuanced art and science of blending. If you don’t find her tasting barrel samples in the winery, she is probably out kicking the dirt in a vineyard.
Kari believes her success is a combination of dedication, hard work, talent, and working with great people. Kari puts it best when she says, “As I look back on a career that has included helping to create several highly regarded cult wines, making great wine is definitely a team sport, and I’ve been on some fantastic teams.”

KELLY WHEAT

ASSISTANT WINEMAKER
FACILITIES MANAGER

ALLISON NEGRÓN

DTC MANAGER

Allison is the Direct to Consumer Manager at Hill Family Estate. She grew up in the south Bay Area where she developed an early appreciation for food and wine, spending many long evenings at the dinner table with her Italian family. She worked in restaurants throughout her college years at UC Davis, where her interest in wine flourished. After graduating she moved to Napa to pursue a career in the wine industry. Prior to Hill Family Estate Allison worked for boutique wineries Elizabeth Spencer and Chiarello Family Vineyards with a focus on direct-to-consumer business development, wine club, hospitality and events. Allison lives in Napa with her husband Kristopher and twin boys Gianni and Lorenzo. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking outdoors, cooking and traveling.

MARIANA CALDERON

CREATIVE DESIGN & MARKETING

Born and raised in San Jose, Costa Rica, Mariana spent her childhood exploring some of the worlds most beautiful beaches and rain forests. After graduating with a degree in architecture and design she started her own photography and graphic design company, winning awards and being featured multiple times in Costa Ricas largest newspaper.

She is fluent in four languages (Spanish, French, Italian, English) and passionate about food, wine and traveling, which led her to Napa Valley where she met her husband, David. In addition to working for Hill Family she continues to pursue her dreams as a professional photographer and designer and always seems to have a smile on her face.

CHRISTIE FRIDAY

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Christie Friday is the Director of Operations for Hill Family Estate. She has over 25 years of experience in the wine business, with her first job working on a bottling line during college. Once she graduated from Sonoma State University, she realized the financial aspect of the wine business was where she wanted to be. She currently resides in Napa with her three boys, Joshua, Elijah and Gabriel.

ERICA NICHOLS

WINE CLUB MANAGER

Erica is the Wine Club Manager at Hill Family Estate. After earning her degree from UC Santa Barbara, she embarked on her early career path in Southern California as Advertising Director at Newport Dunes Resort & Marina in Newport Beach, then shifted gears into commercial real estate as Regional Business Operations Manager in Irvine for an international firm.

In 2009 she traded the Orange County beach life for the beautiful wine and sense of community that the Napa Valley has to offer. As the saying goes, “when in Rome…”, she now brings over a decade of experience working for Napa wineries including Freemark Abbey, Caldwell Vineyard, Elizabeth Spencer, and Cliff Lede Vineyards. She currently lives in downtown Napa, enjoying amazing food and music – but her favorite pastime is laughing with family, friends and great margaritas!

SHELLEY HENRY

HOSPITALITY MANAGER

Shelley returned to her hospitality roots and joined Hill Family Estate where she now serves as both Hospitality Manager at the Yountville tasting room and in-house broker account representative. Her unique blend of expertise in wine and wellness allows her to bring a thoughtful, personalized touch to every interaction.

Outside of work, Shelley enjoys golfing, working out, and spending time with her family and friends.

KAITLYNN SCANNELL

WINE EDUCATOR

Come meet our team! Make sure to stop by Hill Family Estate as you explore Yountville Wineries!