Our Family

Jane and William Ballentine both have their own winemaking heritage in the Napa Valley from a young age. Friends throughout grade school who later became a family building their own winery while raising their two kids Cole and Claire. With continuous balance they emit full attention and care to the vineyards and wines as they do with their family. With countless memories of attending their children’s sporting events and then returning late at night to tend to the wine and vineyards is what differentiates them from other wineries in the valley. Their passion and love for the industry radiates through themselves, their children, and their wine.

William Ballentine

Proprietor & Winemaker

"In 1906, William’s maternal great grandfather, Libero Pocai, established Pocai Winery near Calistoga while William's paternal grandfather, John Ballentine, opened Deer Park Winery on Howell Mountain in 1922. Following Prohibition, these ancestors worked with Andre Tchelitscheff, the late renowned Russian winemaker who influenced Napa Valley winemaking. "

As a fourth generation Napa Valley winemaker, William Ballentine has winemaking in his blood. The dominant theme in William’s life, even from an early age, has been tending to the grapes and making wine. Building his legacy has been passed down from his father, grandfather, and great grandfather.

After working for Gallo Wine Company in the late 1980’s he went on to growing grapes and managing vineyards for his family and others in the Napa Valley in the 1980s and 1990s.

Eager to hone his farming and blending techniques, in 1998 he became the winemaker for St. Clement Vineyards in St. Helena where he had the opportunity to work with many of the world’s great winemakers. William’s winemaking excellence was officially validated when the 1997 St. Clement Cabernet Sauvignon he blended was ranked #30 on the Wine Spectator’s list of “The Best 100 Wines In The World”.

In 2001, William left St. Clement to concentrate on opening his own winery and on winemaking consulting for small, quality-driven growers, many of whom he has helped develop and build wineries throughout Napa Valley.

In 2004, William and Jane officially opened the doors of William Cole Vineyards north of St. Helena on the lower slopes of Spring Mountain after purchasing the property in 1999 and restoring the 1873 ghost winery.

Jane Ballentine

Proprietor

"Raised in the small town of St. Helena, her father was a writer and a historian and her Italian great-grandfather was a winemaker in Sonoma County. Her roots in this special place instilled in Jane the value of family and community, and of handing down the family’s Napa Valley winemaking tradition to the next generation. "

Jane left the Napa Valley to go college, where she studied English Literature at Oxford University in England and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California. Graduating in 1985, she went to work for IBM in San Francisco as an account manager where she lived at that time. To be closer to home she and William moved to Napa and Jane became the Controller/HR Director for Codorniu Napa (now Artesa Winery).

Jane began consulting for wineries in Finance/Accounting and it wasn’t long before she and William decided to move back to St. Helena where they had grown up. Jane’s career and experience proved enormously valuable when she and William discovered that a ghost winery was for sale next door to St. Clement Winery in St Helena, where William was the winemaker. Her knowledge of how to manage a winery enabled them to buy the historic 1873 building and to embark on a five-year journey to restore the old stone building and its neglected historic gardens, plant the estate vineyard and establish William Cole Vineyards.

Today, Jane runs the business side of the winery and enjoys partaking in the marketing and design of the wine labels and packaging. “Sharing collective goals with my family and applying our individual talents is what life is all about,” Jane says. For the Ballentine’s this translates as enjoying the family pleasures of living and working in their winery while creating an exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s simply a matter of tradition and legacy.

Cole Ballentine

Assistant Winemaker & Vineyards

Cole Ballentine is fifth generation Napa Valley, born in the town of St. Helena. From an early age, Cole developed a hands on approach to winemaking and farming, by working closely with his father, William. In 2015, after attending college in Montana, Cole returned to St. Helena to assist in his first full harvest.

During harvest, Cole is not shy of the hard work that it takes to get the grapes ready. He is in constant motion for three to four months during the time of harvest. Cole explained that his favorite part of the winery is the blending process. From years of observing his father, he continues to grow. Cole’s appreciation only increases as he grows with the family winery. When Cole isn’t busy tending to wines, he is on the road promoting the exclusive wines of William Cole Vineyards.

Claire Ballentine

Sales & Marketing

Claire Ballentine is fifth generation Napa Valley, born in the town of St. Helena. From an early age, she developed a passion for the family business. She always enjoyed watching her father in the cellar and the vineyards. After graduating from Colorado State University in 2019, she moved to London where she completed her Master’s Degree from Regents University in Digital Marketing and Analytics. Her artistic and creative eye gives the winery a fresh perspective on marketing ideas.

(707) 963-6100 | info@williamcolevineyards.com