The Women Behind Yountville
Some are founders. Some are carrying forward a family legacy. Others stepped in as co-owners, operators, makers, or creative leads. Women are behind so many of the businesses, experiences, and personal touches that make Yountville feel like Yountville.
A History Worth Knowing
Women have been woven into Napa Valley’s business fabric for well over a century. As far back as the late 1800s, they were showing up – creating opportunities, supporting their neighbors, and quietly holding communities together through their work.
In Yountville, that spirit took shape through people like Nancy Monte, who helped bring Vintage 1870 to life in the 1960s, and Sally Schmitt, who opened The French Laundry alongside her husband Don in 1978 and helped shape Yountville’s early culinary identity. These women weren’t footnotes – they were the foundation of what Yountville is today.
Who’s Here Now
That foundation holds strong. Today, women-owned, women-founded, women-co-owned, and women-led businesses are present across nearly every corner of the Valley – and especially here in Yountville. Wine and hospitality, retail, wellness, photography, design, food, events, professional services – across all of it, women are actively shaping who we are and do best.
In wine, the list speaks for itself. Pam Starr leads Crocker & Starr. Lindsay Hoopes leads Hoopes Vineyard. Robin Daniel Lail founded and owns Lail Vineyards. Susan Hoff co-founded Fantesca Estate & Winery. Christi Coors Ficeli co-owns Goosecross Cellars. Kit Crawford co-founded Clif Family Winery. And Kathryn Walt Hall co-owns HALL Wines. Each of them reflecting a different chapter of the story women continue to write in the Valley winemaking
Beyond wine, women across our network are also building businesses that contribute to the community all year long. Ivy Paperie brings handcrafted paper goods and original art to Yountville, The Fun Cart steps in when an event needs to feel truly special and go flawlessly and Good Things Done Right works with local businesses on the strategy, identity, and visibility that help them grow.
These aren’t just businesses. They’re reflections of real people who care deeply about their work, their community and their Yountville.
What Comes Next
Yountville’s character didn’t arrive fully formed. It was shaped and continues to be built by our local business owners and leaders who bring their passion, personality, skills, and commitment to this community every day.
So today, Yountville’s Chamber celebrates those women, the ones who weren’t scared to step in, the ones that keep showing up and all the ones to come. The businesses look different from one another, the stories behind them may vary, but they share something: a genuine investment in this community, and a belief that what we build today matters to the people who will call this place home tomorrow.
