Stephen Cruzan

Stephen Cruzan joined Titus Vineyards as Winemaker in August 2015. A graduate of North Carolina State University with a BS in Biochemistry, in 2004 he had planned on a life in research. While working at a restaurant in North Carolina in 2005, a chance meeting with a winemaker from Sonoma  resulted in a light bulb moment that led him to the Napa Valley.  Winemaking was the perfect opportunity to couple a life-long love of fine wine and the technical sciences of his degree. Stephen got his start in the winemaking lab at Kathryn Hall Vineyards in St. Helena. Two years later he worked harvests at Sacred Hill in New Zealand, Domaine d’Ardhui in Burgundy and Clemens Busch in Germany’s Mosel River Valley. In 2009, he  joined the team at Chappellet Winery under Phillip Titus. Working closely with Phillip, Stephen moved up the ladder from Cellar Hand to Enologist and had the chance to meet Phillip’s  brother Eric Titus as well. Under Philip’s guidance, he focused on modern winemaking for the sake of getting the optimal expression from the grapes as well as mid-palate texture. He moved  to Cade Winery on Howell Mountain where, as the AssistantWinemaker, he learned about the detail and differentiation of barrel roles in creating a complete wine. With the advent of a new winery for Titus Vineyards in 2015, the Titus brothers reached out to Stephen to take the reins at their new facility. Today he enjoys crafting expressive wines off of the family’s estate vineyards and select vineyard sites in Napa Valley.