Natural wine, to me, begins with respect for the fruit, not allegiance to a label.
Napa Valley’s default setting is Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malek Amrani has never pretended otherwise. Cabernet is the foundation of The Vice, the Napa Valley winery he founded with his wife, Torie, in 2016, and it accounts for nearly two thirds of production. What Amrani declined to accept was the second half of the conventional script, the part that says a serious Napa house plants its flag on Cabernet and stays there. The Vice works with approximately 20 grape varieties drawn from all 15 of the valley’s sub-appellations, a portfolio that runs from Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir to Viognier, Tempranillo, Riesling and a line of skin-fermented orange wines that has become a signature of the house.
His route to the cellar ran through the far end of the wine business. Born in Morocco, Amrani left a year of medical school in West Africa and moved to New York, where he worked restaurant and wine bar jobs before landing, at 21, in distribution, representing Diageo and Moët Hennessy brands to Manhattan restaurants, bars and hotels. He began importing small-production wines on the side, building a name in the trade years before he made a bottle of his own. The Vice, when it came, was designed by a man who had spent his career on the selling side of the table, and it shows in how the house is built.
The advice he received, repeatedly, was to simplify. Focus on Cabernet Sauvignon. Build a small portfolio. Make the wines buyers already understand. From a conventional business perspective it was reasonable advice, and Amrani rejected it, on the theory that Napa Valley had a bigger story to tell and that drinkers were growing curious about everything outside the familiar categories. The position is expensive to hold. Sourcing, production, inventory, distribution and storytelling across 15 appellations and 20 varieties is complicated by design. A decade in, the return on the bet is reach: the wines are distributed in 45 states and 11 international markets.
The tempo of the house showed itself this summer. In late July, while most of the valley’s red grapes were still weeks from picking, The Vice harvested Pinot Noir from Truchard Vineyards in Carneros, deliberately early, at about 18 Brix, looking for vibrant acidity and a finished wine of around 10 percent alcohol. It was fermented dry and bottled 24 days after harvest, the first Napa Valley wine of the 2026 vintage, in the market before the Southern Hemisphere’s 2026 wines had reached many American shelves and nearly three months ahead of the Beaujolais Nouveau release that traditionally opens the new vintage in November.
The bet had already announced itself to the trade at this year’s Premiere Napa Valley, the Napa Valley Vintners barrel auction that anchors the industry calendar. The Vice fielded three lots: a 20-case Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, a 10-case collaboration with Reynolds Family Winery marking 50 years since the Judgment of Paris, and a five-case lot of orange Viognier from the Oak Knoll District, skin-fermented for 26 days with native yeast. The orange wine was the first ever offered at Premiere. Its 60 bottles sold for $9,720, a price reported as a global benchmark for the orange wine category, ahead of several Cabernet lots on the day.
Underneath the range sits a consistent discipline. Amrani’s cellar philosophy is restraint backed by technique: intervene as little as the fruit allows, intervene precisely when it does not, and never let an ideology sign for a flawed wine. The same instinct governs the front of the house. The Vice was founded on the belief that exceptional Napa Valley wine should be accessible to everyone, not necessarily inexpensive, but welcoming, wine that brings people together instead of making them feel examined. It is an unusual combination for Napa: maximal range, minimal dogma.
What is in tank and barrel now keeps the same shape. The Cabernet program remains the center of gravity, built from distinct appellations bottled as separate expressions of the variety. Aromatic whites, orange wines and small-production varieties continue to develop alongside it, and the house is building a kosher wine program to the same standards of vineyard sourcing, fermentation and quality as the rest of the portfolio. Nothing in the current program narrows the field, which, by this point in the story, is the field working as designed.
Malek Amrani is the Moroccan-born founder and winemaker of The Vice Winery in Napa Valley, California, which he runs with his wife, Torie, the company’s co-founder. He joined the board of Napa Valley Vintners in 2024, and, by his account, also sits on the board of the Wine Institute, contributing to its work on communications and public policy. The house counts more than 200 scores of 90 points or higher from wine publications in recent years.
In his own words
This interview was conducted by email and has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Vintner Report put eight questions to Amrani. His answers follow.
The Vice, in your words: what is it, and what does the name mean to you?
The Vice is my interpretation of Napa Valley.
When Torie and I created The Vice, we were not interested in creating another Cabernet brand. Napa already has the greatest Cabernet producers in the world. We wanted to create a solution for wine enthusiasts that want to explore everything else this extraordinary region has to offer, without abandoning the classics.
Today, we work with approximately 20 varietals across more than a dozen of Napa Valley sub-appellations. Nearly two thirds of our production is Cabernet Sauvignon, of course, but also Viognier, Tempranillo, orange wines and styles that don’t always fit the traditional Napa narrative.
The name “The Vice” is intentionally provocative. Wine is one of life’s great pleasures, and I believe such pleasure should be celebrated, not apologized for. The Vice is also about challenging the status quo, perhaps by having the courage of doing things differently.
We believe that the best way to honor Napa Valley is to keep pushing both its boundaries, of tradition and innovation.
You bottled the valley’s first 2026 rosé 24 days after harvest. What did that pace require of you, and what did it buy?
It required us to rethink the traditional winemaker and commercial calendars.
Most people associate winemaking with patience, and rightly so. But patience doesn’t always mean waiting. Sometimes it means knowing exactly a wine is ready and have the confidence to act.
We harvested Pinot Noir from Truchard Vineyards in Carneros at about 18 Brix, specifically looking for vibrant acidity, delicate aromatics and a lower alcohol profile (10%). We fermented the wine dry, preserved freshness and moved quickly to bottling.
Twenty four days from harvest to bottle leaves very little room for hesitation. Every decision from picking to fermentation management, clarification, stability, and packaging had to be anticipated.
What did it buy us? Freshness in its purest form, but also something equally valuable: a commercial head start.
We brought the 2026 vintage to market before even Southern Hemisphere 2026 wines had reached many US shelves, and nearly three months before Beaujolais Nouveau traditional November release.
Why wait until Spring to release our rosé when we can share it with consumers six months earlier, while the excitement of harvest is still alive?
For us, being first isn’t about simply breaking records. It’s about challenging the traditional wine calendar, creating excitement for our distributors and retail partners, and giving consumers something genuinely new at a time when most wineries globally are still focused on the previous vintage, or vintages.
Your orange wine was the first shown at Premiere Napa Valley. Why orange wine in a Cabernet town, and how did the room receive it?
Because Napa Valley is much more than just Cabernet Sauvignon. Cab is our bread and butter, our foundation and most important varietal, but it will never be the limit of our imagination.
We were very proud to have 3 Premiere lots last year. A 20 case Howell Mountain Cab Sauv, a 10 case collaboration lot with the Reynolds Family and a 5 cases lot of Orange of Viognier.
When we decided to present an orange wine at Premiere Napa Valley, we knew it would raise eyebrows. Premiere is one of the most prestigious trade events in the American wine industry and buyers arrive expecting extraordinary Napa wines, particularly Cabernet.
Of course we wanted to offer something they weren’t expecting.
Orange wine is fascinating because it challenges the conventional categories of both white and red. For me, bringing orange wine to PNV wasn’t about being rebellious of the sake of rebellion. It truly was about demonstrating the depth of what Napa Valley can produce.
The reception was remarkable. Our lot established a record price for an orange wine anywhere. That moment was bigger than a single wine. It showed that buyers are willing to embrace something unexpected when the quality and story are compelling.
I believe that sometimes, the most respectful thing one can do for a great wine region is challenge what people think it can be.
You come from a natural-wine sensibility. What does that word mean to you inside Napa Valley, and where do you draw your own line?
Natural wine, to me, begins with respect for the fruit, not allegiance to a label. I appreciate minimal intervention, spontaneous expression, and wines that feel alive. But I don't believe a wine becomes more authentic simply because a winemaker refuses to intervene. Nature doesn't always make perfect wine on its own.
My responsibility is to understand the fruit, protect its character, and make the best possible wine from it. Sometimes that means doing very little. Sometimes it means making a precise technical decision. I have no interest in using ideology as an excuse for flaws.
A wine can be unconventional, textured, slightly wild, and beautifully expressive. But it still needs balance, integrity, and a reason to exist beyond being different. At The Vice, we embrace experimentation, but we're equally committed to consistency and quality. For me, natural winemaking is a philosophy of restraint, not a competition to see who can do the least.
What was the hardest “no” on the path: a rule, a buyer habit, or advice you were told to follow and didn’t?
One of the most common pieces of advice I received was to simplify.
Focus on Cabernet Sauvignon. Build a small portfolio. Stay in one lane. Make the wines buyers already understand.
From a conventional business perspective, it was reasonable advice.
I chose not to follow it.
I believed Napa Valley had a much bigger story to tell, and that consumers were becoming increasingly curious about wines outside the familiar categories.
Building a portfolio across 15 appellations and approximately 20 varietals is operationally complicated. It makes sourcing, production, inventory, distribution, and storytelling more difficult.
There were plenty of moments when a simpler model would have made my life easier.
But I didn't start The Vice to make my life easier.
Today, our wines are distributed in 45 states and 11 international markets. That reach has reinforced my belief that curiosity is not a niche market.
The hardest part of saying no to conventional wisdom is accepting that you may have to prove yourself for years before anyone agrees with you… And even then, you have to keep proving it…
Tell us what is in tank and barrel right now that trade readers should watch for.
The 2026 harvest has been especially exciting because we're continuing to explore the diversity of Napa Valley while refining the wines that have become the foundation of The Vice.
Our Cabernet Sauvignon program remains central to what we do, with fruit from distinct appellations that allow us to explore different expressions of Napa's most celebrated variety.
We're also continuing to develop our aromatic white wines and unconventional styles, particularly orange wines and small-production varietals.
One area I'm particularly excited about is developing a kosher wine program. We're applying the same attention to vineyard sourcing, fermentation, and quality that defines the rest of our portfolio, while making these wines accessible to a broader audience.
What excites me most isn't necessarily the rarest grape or the most expensive barrel.
It's finding a wine that makes someone stop, taste it again, and fall in love with Napa more than they have ever been.
That's the reaction we're constantly chasing.
Who is The Vice for? Describe the person who finds your wines.
One of our founding beliefs is that exceptional Napa Valley wines should be accessible to everyone. That doesn't mean every bottle needs to be inexpensive. It means everyone should feel welcome in the conversation.
Wine should bring people together, not make them feel excluded.
The Vice is for people who want to enjoy wine, not be intimidated by it.
One piece of advice for a young winemaker starting out in the valley in 2026?
Raise your standards, and never confuse recognition with achievement.
Napa Valley is an extraordinary place to build a career, but it's also a place where reputation can become an obsession.
It's easy to chase scores, prestigious vineyards, famous consultants, and the approval of people who have been in the industry longer than you.
Learn from everyone. Respect the people who built this region. But don't spend your career trying to become someone else.
Develop your palate. Understand the science. Spend time in the vineyard. Most importantly, learn how wine is sold, not just how it's made.
And don't be afraid to fail publicly.
If you're going to dedicate your life to winemaking, make wines that mean something to you.
The industry doesn't need another imitation of a successful winery.
It needs your perspective.