“John Lockwood started from scratch in Napa Valley and built a brand known for wines of character, distinction and finesse.

Despite the dear price of land, grapes, equipment and marketing in Napa Valley, John Lockwood is showing that someone with little experience and less capital still can secure a toehold in the nation’s most precious and competitive wine region.

All it takes is pluck and smarts. A few patient and seasoned guides, a market-savvy girlfriend and a roommate to help offset the high cost of living in Napa Valley also help.

As a consequence, over the past five years Lockwood’s brand, Enfield Wine Co., has become known for wines of character, distinction and finesse. He makes only around 1,000 cases per vintage and prices them modestly by Napa Valley standards, which helps explain why they sell fast and can be virtually impossible to find if you aren’t on his mailing list.

Lockwood has no vineyard, no winery and no tasting room, and his frank labels say he hasn’t thrown a lot of money to a graphics designer.

“When I started Enfield it wasn’t intended to be more than a side project,” says Lockwood. “It was an avenue for me to explore my winemaking knowledge and to start making the kinds of wines that I knew I wanted to make from vineyards that I thought really had untapped potential.””