7 Things You Need to Know About Massican, Napa’s Only White Wine-Focused Producer

In a sea of Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley’s Massican stands out with its Mediterranean-inspired white wines. When Dan Petroski — VinePair’s 2024 Next Wave Winemaker of the Year — founded the brand in 2009, he identified a clear gap in Napa’s market for zippy, refreshing whites designed to be drunk young. It remains the region’s only winery singularly focused on producing white wine.

Beloved by sommeliers and casual drinkers alike, the brand quickly found success with its range of wines, from the expressive, tropical Sauvignon Blanc to the textured and rich Annia blend. After years of steady growth, Massican was acquired by E. & J. Gallo in 2023, furthering its expansion — most recently with the addition of its first vintage of Pinot Grigio.

With its iconic blue label, and full embrace of the Mediterranean lifestyle, the brand is a symbol of white wine’s growth and potential stateside. Whether you’re a longtime fan of the wines, or interested in embracing its coastal Italian vibes, here are seven things you should know about Massican.

Massican’s founder didn’t start out as a winemaker.

Before breaking into the wine industry, Petroski had a decade-long career in media and publishing, working for magazines like Sports Illustrated and Time. But while working in New York City, Petroski was also drawn to its vibrant dining scene and started exploring wine. When faced with a major career decision, he decided to ditch his corporate job and move to Sicily to pursue winemaking. When Petroski returned to the U.S., he settled in California, working several winery jobs before starting his own brand.

Massican started as Petroski’s side hustle.

Petroski first started Massican while working as the winemaker at Napa Valley’s legendary Larkmead Vineyards — known for its bold, powerful Cabernet Sauvignons. In a major deviation from this style, Petroski started the white-wine-focused Massican in 2009. This remained his side hustle for 12 years, steadily growing the project from 400 to 2,000 cases. In 2021, he took on Massican full-time, expanding to 10,000 cases.

Massican first made a splash at the French Laundry.

Massican’s crisp and complex white wines were an instant hit, but there were some important factors that drove its success. In the brand’s early days, Petroski would pour the wines for his industry friends, and they quickly caught the attention of the beverage director at Napa’s famed fine dining restaurant the French Laundry. He offered to buy all 50 cases of Sauvignon Blanc that Petroski had produced that year, and the wine held a spot on the restaurant’s by-the-glass list for 10 years. Petroski still credits this placement as a key moment in the brand’s evolution.

One of Massican’s wines is named for Petroski’s mother.

In addition to Massican’s lineup of single varietal wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio, the winery also offers a series of blends. The brand’s flagship wine, Annia, is made with a blend of Ribolla Gialla, Tocai Friulano, Chardonnay, and Pinot Bianco. Inspired by the wines of Italy’s Friuli region, it’s bright and fresh, but also textured and nuanced. The wine is named after Petroski’s mother, Annia, whose grandparents grew up close to Italy’s Massican hills (known as the Monte Massico).

Petroski hunted for the perfect label color.

With his background in media, Petroski knew early on that it was important to establish Massican’s visual identity. Central to the brand’s image is its signature sky-blue and white colors. And though the bottle and labels have a simple design, Petroski put an extraordinary amount of effort into finding the perfect shade of blue for the label. His first step was paying a visit to the exclusive, appointment-only Forbes Pigment Collection at Harvard University, which houses an archive of specific color specimens from around the world for reference and research. When Petroski shared the story of Massican and its Italian inspiration, the director of the pigment collection suggested he look to the historic blues of Pompeii. Naturally, Petroski hopped on a plane to Italy to search for a specific tone, eventually finding the inspiration for “Massican blue” in a 1,500-year-old fresco. This color is now listed in the Harvard library of pigment, and the Massican team is currently working with Pantone to list it as an official color.

Massican has its own cookbook… and magazine… and perfume.

Petroski’s always aimed for Massican to reach beyond wine, and exist as more of a lifestyle brand. In line with this, Massican has produced its own magazine, released a cookbook, and also has its own signature perfume, a scent designed by Petroski’s wife to capture the Mediterranean spirit. Not to be boxed in, Massican also produced a Belgian witbier and pilsner (made in Massican white wine barrels) from 2015 to 2022, and crafted dry white and sweet vermouths from 2011 to 2019.

Massican collaborates with winemakers from across the globe.

In addition to its core lineup of wines, Massican produces a specialty Collaboration Series with other U.S. winemakers, as well as producers from Italy and Australia. Though the brand strays from its core grapes for these wines, the overall mission stays the same: crisp, refreshing, and complex whites with compelling aromas and textures. Recent examples include a collaboration with Oregon’s Walter Scott winery, made with Pinot Bianco and Pinot Grigio and a blend of Tocai, Ribollia Gialla, Sauvignon Blanc, and Malvasia made with Sonoma’s Idlewild.

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