Winemaking at Stags’ Leap
Ludovic Dervin
General Manager & Senior Winemaker
In July 2022, Ludovic joined Stags’ Leap Winery as General Manager and Senior Winemaker. Drawn to the centuries-old historic estate, premiere location in the Stags Leap appellation, and signature style of winemaking, Ludovic is both eager and determined to continue the Stags’ Leap Winery legacy of producing gold-standard Napa Valley wines.
The Draw of Napa Valley Terroir
From a young age, Ludovic Dervin was drawn to the people, culture, and art of winemaking. A native of the Champagne region of France, Ludo grew up playing hide-and-seek and foraging for wild mushrooms among some of the most esteemed vineyards in the world. At first, his curious, scientific mind led him to pursue studies in microbiology, but eventually he found his way back to his roots and pivoted to his true calling, enology. He earned his viticulture and winemaking degree at the University in Reims and is today the General Manager and Senior Winemaker for Stags’ Leap Winery.
Before officially launching his career as a Napa Valley winemaker, Ludovic set out on a three-year venture as a “flying winemaker.” His journey took him around the globe to world-class winemaking regions in Greece, South Africa, and California, where he learned the ins and outs of both Old and New World winemaking, including the different techniques and the intricacies of each vine-growing region. Particularly enamored by Napa Valley winemaking country, it wasn’t long before he returned for good.
By the mid-1990s, Ludovic relocated to California permanently to fulfill a 16-month role as a research enologist for Remy Martin’s Piper Sonoma. After staying with the brand for another year, Ludovic moved on to join the team at Kendall-Jackson and Hartford Court, where he worked on production of the luxury portfolio, including the launch of Kendall-Jackson’s Verité program in 1998. In 2002, he joined Mumm Napa as Head Winemaker, where he continued to develop his passion and creativity, producing premier Napa Valley wines for the following 17 years— including winemaking missions in other parts of the world, like Australia, New Zealand, France, and Canada.
After graduation, Ludo immersed himself in the winemaking world to get a better sense of the many facets of the industry. It was the complexity of the job that really appealed to him. He enjoyed working with growers, managing winemaking teams, and exploring the craft—blending artistry and modern technology. Once he got his foot in the door, the rest was history.
Experience Has Brought Wisdom
Ludovic's winemaking philosophy is informed by the sum of his varied experiences: he makes wine the way he learned in France, to showcase the fruit and not the winemaker’s hand, but he applies a technical understanding of each and every step of the process.