Laird Family Estate (Winemaker & Production Manager)

Janet Myers received a B.S. in Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. When she realized that winemaking was a profession that combined science and agriculture – her family background – Janet enrolled at the University of California, Davis and has not looked back. She completed a master’s degree in Enology and Fermentation Science from UC Davis in 1995.

Janet’s first harvest was at Robert Mondavi Winery when she was still a student at UC Davis. To pursue her passion for crafting fine wine, she worked at leading vintners which included Antinori in Italy, Pierro Vineyards in Australia’s Margaret River region, before arriving in the Napa Valley. In Napa, she worked for one year as enologist at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and then for four years as assistant winemaker at Louis M Martini Winery.

In 2003, she joined Franciscan Estate, which at the time owned both Mount Veeder Winery and Franciscan Oakville Estate, first as associate winemaker and then as General Manager and Director of Winemaking for both wineries from August 2005 to December 2018. She joined Laird Family Estate in April 2019, where she is winemaker and production manager.

Janet is especially interested in Cabernet and its nuances, loving its body and texture and how it has layers of intensity and richness.