O’Brien Estate is farmed and made by a small team on the estate itself — the same 33 acres of vineyard, the same cellar, from vine to bottle.
Mike Smith
Consulting Winemaker
Great wine is 100% the winemaker, 100% the vineyard, and 100% Mother Nature’s mood during harvest.
Mike Smith
Mike Smith joined O’Brien Estate on 10 July 2026 as Consulting Winemaker, heading the winemaking program from the 2026 vintage onward.
An Oregon native, Mike learned his craft under Thomas Rivers Brown, with early work at Schrader, Rivers-Marie, Maybach Family, and Outpost. He has since become one of Napa Valley’s most decorated winemakers, and while he works across a range of varietals, his reputation rests most firmly on Cabernet Sauvignon.
His record is extraordinary by any measure: more than forty-five perfect 100-point scores, over forty wines rated 99 or above, and more than eighty-five at 98 or above, with honours from Wine Advocate, Jeb Dunnuck, Vinous, Wine Spectator, International Wine Report, and The Wine Palate. He has twice earned the most 100-point scores from Wine Advocate in a single vintage. Three of his Cabernets have received the rare “triple hundred” — 100 points from three separate critics — and in 2021 he set a new mark with five separate 100-point scores for a single wine.
At O’Brien Estate, Mike works alongside Associate Winemaker Robert Diaz on harvest, fermentation, aging, and blending decisions. He also recommended Napa Select Vineyard Management to implement our sustainable and regenerative farming program — the work behind our sustainability initiatives.
What distinguishes Mike is not the scoring but the method behind it: a hands-on approach that lets each site speak for itself, with patience, restraint, and an uncompromising eye for detail in both cellar and vineyard.
Robert Diaz
Associate Winemaker
Robert Diaz has been with O’Brien Estate since May 2021, joining as Cellar Master and rising to Associate Winemaker over that time. He carries the day-to-day responsibility for the cellar, and works with Mike Smith through harvest, fermentation, aging, and blending.
Robert is assisted by Filipe Tellez.
Come Walk the Vineyard
Walk our vineyard, touch the barrels, and sit in our backyard with a glass of something extraordinary. You’ll see why we ask — is this heaven?