Many wineries in Napa Valley are owned by families, but few have family members more involved than Judd’s Hill Winery.

Art and Bunnie Finkelstein, their son Judd and his wife Holly are all deeply involved in the business, which just opened a new facility on Silverado Trail to replace its old home in Conn Valley.

Art has been the winemaker, with Judd now joining in, and Holly, who has an MBA, is deeply involved in the business side of the winery. Bunnie also looks after administration (as well as playing the tuba).

All help promote the winery, are often on the road, including at the yearly Sundance Food and Wine Festival at Robert Redford’s resort in Utah. It’s been their life for years.

Architect Art and Bunnie bought a vineyard in St. Helena in 1979 with his brother Al Steen and founded Whitehall Lane Winery in 1988. They later sold the business, and Art started Judd’s Hill at their home and cabernet vineyard on Greenfield Road in 1995.

Judd was around Whitehall Lane winery when he was growing up, but wasn’t interested in the business. He got a degree in film production, but after the three years in Hollywood, he returned back home. “I came to realize that I loved wine and the process of making it,” he said. “I also loved being in Napa Valley. I don’t think my personality fit into the entertainment business.”

He started helping his father make wine, taking classes at Napa Valley College and UC Davis.

Judd and Holly married in 2003.

The Judd’s Hill wine production is only 3,000 cases, and under the Judd’s Hill, Judd and Magic brands, they produce cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, merlot, petite sirah, syrah and blends. They made a zinfandel and some white wines and rosé for club members and the tasting room in 2005, and also recently made a few cases of dry muscat canelli under the Hollyhock brand for the annual wine auction of Mustard’s. “After all, my name is on each bottle, so Holly deserves her own, too,” said Judd.

In addition to making their own wines, Judd’s Hill has developed a significant business making small quantities for wines for 120 vineyard owners, people thinking of getting into the wine business, connoisseurs and others.

Called Napa Valley Microcrush, it serves a niche below the large custom crush operations like Napa Wine Company and Laird. In fact, though a few existing clients are larger, they don’t seek customers that want more than five barrels (about 100 cases), and many customers only want one barrel of wine (about 21 cases).

Almost all of the wine is red — overwhelmingly cabernet — though they have facilities for making white wines, too.

Art started making wine for vineyard owners who wanted to demonstrate what their grapes were like, and these remain many of his customers. Over time, restaurants and others who wanted small quantities of wine for sale and wine lovers also commissioned the company to make wine. Most don’t resell the wine, but others do; legally, they operate under Judd’s Hill’s license.

The new winery, which was designed by Art, is designed for producing many small lots and has such features as a covered crush pad and its own small bottling line.

The building also houses a room for sit-down tastings; it’s decorated by many of the wines the facility has made over the years, some well known, but most obscure and a few rather ribald. The tasting of six wines costs $15 and is by appointment only.

Outside, raised beds of vegetables and a chicken coop remind you that you’re in the country, and the winery is surrounded by attractive vines. They’re not the Finkelsteins’ vines — theirs are in the hills of Conn Valley — but Judd’s Hill does get pinot noir from the site under long-term contract.

Along with their new winery, the Finkelsteins received some good news recently; Holly is expecting a baby in July. Will the third generation continue the wine tradition?

Only time will tell, but if Judd’s experience is typical, the lure of wine — and Napa Valley — is very strong.