Last week, we lost a beloved brother, founder and proprietor, Bart Krupp.

Though our hearts ache, we felt it was important to share with you what an extraordinary man he was and why without him, there would never have been a Stagecoach Vineyard or this wine brand.

Bart, Jan Krupp’s younger brother, would become his business partner in 1995 as they set out to do what the Napa wine establishment had deemed impossible: To develop a remote piece of land with a harsh landscape, riddled with rocks and boulders, without road access or a known water source into a world-class vineyard.

With Bart’s financial support, they purchased the 750-acre parcel crowning the Vaca mountains, and work began on what would become Napa Valley’s largest and one of its most prestigious vineyards: Stagecoach.

As partners, the brothers proved to be perfect complements. With that rare combination of being both a people and numbers person, Bart brought a business acumen that was key to sales, financial decision-making, and strategy. He facilitated relationships with investors and wineries sourcing fruit and could anticipate the needs of vineyard employees.  A born farmer, Jan would develop the land, selecting the varietals best suited for the various microclimates and conditions throughout Stagecoach, remove 1 million pounds of rock, find grape buyers and oversee increasingly larger and more complicated harvests.

The brothers purchased several adjacent parcels, growing Stagecoach to 1,300 acres, 650 of them planted, supplying grapes to Arkenstone, Pahlmeyer and Paul Hobbs among dozens of other premier wineries. In 1999, the brothers launched their own wine label, showcasing Stagecoach’s exceptional fruit. With the sale of the vineyard in 2017, they shifted their focus entirely to the winery, buying a beautiful property with a vineyard and winery facility in the Silverado Bench.

Bart would also sell his company, the family business which he had transformed from a materials recycling factory to a thriving foam fabrication business. With his retirement, Bart and his wife Patricia began staying part-time at the new estate, lending his keen business eye to operations. It’s not often that employees want their bosses around, let alone living on the property, but everyone looked forward to Bart and Patricia’s stays.

Bart’s career successes are nothing short of extraordinary, and his imprint on Napa Valley is undeniable. But what he will be remembered for by the many who knew him was his kindness and humility. He valued all people, seeing the good in them, and never considered himself better than anyone else.

He will live on in those who love him, Patricia, his wife of 55 years, his children Staci and Edward Krupp and five grandchildren, in his namesake wine Black Bart Syrah (and his favorite, Veraison Cabernet). We will honor his legacy by continuing to make wines he loved so much with great care and perhaps, most importantly, by striving to be a little bit more like him.