Growing up in a big Italian family, Winemaker Chris Pisani learned to appreciate many of the very aspects that make Napa Valley so memorable: great people, history, wine, food and the land itself. During his formative years, Chris studied chemistry at university and received his degree from SUNY Stonybrook while experimenting with winemaking at home. He was hooked, and before long Chris and his wife Ina were moving to California for a taste of life in the wine country.

Chris continued his coursework at UC Davis in the areas of viticulture and enology while falling headfirst into the world of winemaking and the path that would lead him to ZD Wines in 1996. As winemaker, Chris is responsible for producing ZD’s world class wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon, including Abacus, a solera-style bottling of every ZD Reserve Cabernet ever produced.

Chris recently celebrated 20 years of working at ZD and continues to put forth wines that exemplify their goals of quality, consistency and style. Chris lives in Napa with his wife Ina and their two children Savio and Djuna. When not attending to the barrel rooms at ZD’s Rutherford Estate Winery, Chris can often be found sailing in the San Francisco Bay with his family.