Julien Fayard, Stephen Taplin and Sylvia Taplin tasting wines at a long table with vineyard views

THE TEAM

Taplin Cellars centrifuge Taplin Cellars centrifuge

Winemaking: Quiet Confidence

The same intellectual discipline that shapes Taplin’s ownership also defines its winemaking. Just as each member of the family contributes a specialized expertise to a common vision, the Taplins’ winemaking team is methodical, data-driven and patient, constantly learning from the vineyard and understanding its variations.

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Stephen Taplin in a wide-brimmed hat and blue Taplin Cellars shirt in the vineyard

Stephen Taplin

Co-Owner

Stephen Taplin, MD, MPH, is a fifth-generation Napa Valley resident and co-owner of Taplin Cellars. Before returning to St. Helena, he had a distinguished career as an internationally recognized breast cancer researcher at the National Cancer Institute. Since co-founding the estate winery in 2011, Stephen has applied scientific precision and a physician’s heart to wine production, dedicating himself to environmental stewardship, local history, and fostering human connection through wine.

Beyond the winery operations, Stephen finds joy in pursuing stone sculpting, swimming, and landscape design.

Bill Taplin smiling in a blue work shirt against a wood wall

Bill Taplin

Co-Owner

Bill Taplin, co-owner of Taplin Cellars, carries on a fifth-generation legacy of ownership over his family’s Napa Valley land. Alongside a 37-year career as a civil and environmental engineer, serving as a Vice President at Stantec, Bill has managed the family property since 1996. Since co-founding the estate winery in 2011 with his siblings, he has applied his engineering mindset to overseeing winery construction and vineyard replanting, dedicated to building a lasting legacy.

Bill can often be found in the barn tinkering with various mechanical and woodworking projects, a passion he inherited from his father. He also enjoys cooking and creating recipes from seasonal ingredients like his mother did.

Adam Taplin in a striped shirt against a wood wall

Adam Taplin

Co-Owner

Adam Taplin is a sixth-generation steward of his family’s historic Napa Valley estate and co-owner of Taplin Cellars. Balancing a career as a user experience designer, Adam formally stepped into ownership in 2015. He applies his design background to winery operations and storytelling, prioritizing innovative, sustainable farming practices like eliminating herbicides to secure a living, values-driven legacy for the next generation.

When he’s not immersed in work, Adam enjoys mountain biking, running, cooking with his wife and kids, and exploring the Northern California coast.

Winemaker Julien Fayard with arms crossed among autumn vines

Julien Fayard

Winemaker

Julien Fayard has been the winemaker for Taplin Cellars since its inception, bringing more than two decades of expertise producing California varietals with French finesse. Originally from France, his background includes working at Lafite Rothschild and Smith Haut Lafitte before relocating to Napa Valley and earning a UC Davis MBA. Julien utilizes traditional, low-manipulation winemaking methods to craft elegant, vineyard-centric wines that honor the site’s distinct characteristics with a minimalist’s grace.

Camille Gaïo smiling in a hat and scarf in front of a wine barrel

Camille Gaïo

Director of Winemaking, Fayard Wines

Camille Gaïo brings discipline and culinary intuition to her role at Taplin Cellars, collaborating with Julien Fayard since 2012. Her diverse background includes classical French gastronomy, Michelin-starred kitchens, a sommelier certification, and a Master’s degree in winemaking from the University of Bordeaux. Camille applies “modern technique to classic style,” crafting food-friendly wines that balance power with elegance while helping refine farming practices for the estate’s generational legacy.

In her personal life, Camille enjoys spending time with her two kids and partner, who is also a winemaker, and is a dedicated student of all things culinary.

Sylvia Taplin among golden autumn grape leaves

Sylvia Taplin

General Manager

Sylvia Taplin is the General Manager and chief narrator of Taplin Cellars, overseeing daily operations and safeguarding the family’s 160-year Napa Valley legacy. Drawing from a 27-year international public health career as a physician and WHO epidemiologist, Sylvia applies a systems’ data-driven approach to the winery. She focuses on efficiency and fostering community connections.

Today, Sylvia lives near the Taplin ranch in St. Helena where she and Stephen are surrounded by their blended family of three children, their spouses, and four grandchildren.

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