Our Story

Brothers Chris and Jonathan Walden bring decades of expertise: Chris in the vineyard, tending vines by hand and guiding the land with intuition; Jonathan in the cellar, shaping wines with purity, artistry, and a deep respect for expressing the vineyard and the nuances that come with each vintage. Together, they cultivate and craft wines that honor Sonoma and Napa Valley’s terroir and embody a legacy grown from the ground up.

Chris has spent more than 20 years in the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma — running tractors at sunrise, and farming side by side with his crews. His fruit has gone into some of the region’s most respected wines, often to the very winemakers that Jonathan was working alongside of. For Chris, farming is about listening to the land, giving the vines what they need to thrive, and building a life and legacy for his wife, Melissa, and their three beautiful daughters, Hadley, Eleanor and Frances.

Jonathan’s path led him to the cellar, where since 2008 he has worked alongside some of Napa Valley’s most respected winemakers — Philippe Melka, Maayan Koschitzky, Sean Capiaux, and Thomas Rivers Brown. These experiences refined his technical mastery, creating a voice that is distinctly his own. For Jonathan, winemaking is an act of expression: a practice of listening intently to the vineyard and vintage, guiding them into wines that speak with authenticity and character. His work is fueled by family, his wife, Alyssia, children Amelia and Julian, and the desire to craft wines that will last for generations.

The brothers’ worlds came together naturally. In 2021, they found a vineyard site that gave them the chance to combine their decades of experience: Chris in the field, Jonathan in the cellar. Together, they continue to shape Walden Wine as a reflection of who they are; rooted in family, grounded in the land, and devoted to a legacy built from the ground up.