Palmaz Vineyards’ modern history dates to the late 1990s when Julio and Amalia Palmaz bought the historic Napa estate on Hagen Road, planted 64 acres of vineyards and built a modern winery. Julio Palmaz is a native Argentine who moved to the U.S. in the late 1970s to continue his medical career and to pursue what would become a highly successful venture into medical research. Based at UC Davis, he and his wife Amalia spent their weekends winetasting in Napa. They eventually found the Cedar Knoll Vineyard and Winery, a 19th-century estate founded by Henry Hagen, who was one of Napa’s pioneering winemakers. The Hagen family stopped making wine during Prohibition and never restarted. Today the estate is run Julio and Amalia Palmaz and their adult children, including son Christian Gaston Palmaz, winemaker and viticulturalist. The estate makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and Muscat. The 2000 vintage was the inaugural release.