Bart Araujo is a Bay-area native and fifth-generation Californian. Following an undergraduate education at the University of Southern California, three years of military service, and earning an MBA from Harvard, Bart spent the next twenty years based in Santa Barbara, building residential subdivisions in Southern and Northern California, and Arizona.  

He returned to Northern California in 1990 with the purchase of the iconic Eisele Vineyard in Calistoga. There, he and his wife Daphne founded Araujo Estate Wines, and over the next twenty-three years, became known for producing profound, site-expressive Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc wines. After the Araujos sold their estate vineyards and winery in 2013 to the French owners of Château Latour, Bart and Daphne’s next chapter was the creation of Accendo Cellars, a Napa Valley wine venture with their children, Greg and Jaime. 

With Accendo underway, Bart invited like-minded Napa Cabernet producers to become winemaking partners in a new state-of-the-art collaborative facility, which he constructed on the historic Wheeler Farms property in St Helena. Beyond winemaking, the project pays homage to Napa Valley’s diverse agricultural roots with edible gardens, heritage orchards, olive trees, and estate vineyards - all organically and biodynamically farmed - a place where visitors are afforded welcoming and immersive farm-to-table experiences.

Bart recently sold Wheeler Farms to one of his partners to focus on his other Napa-related passions: the family’s home vineyard; health care, land preservation, and expanded educational opportunities in Napa Valley; and ongoing support for the UC Davis Department of Viticulture & Enology.