Camille Gaïo brings European discipline and culinary intuition to winemaking at Taplin Cellars. Here, in the heart of St. Helena, she makes wines that honor the estate’s generational legacy while remaining firmly rooted in a philosophy she calls “modern technique applied to classic style.” For Camille, every decision in the vineyard and cellar is guided by a singular question of whether the wine will elevate a meal, an approach shaped by years working in Michelin-starred kitchens, studying the world’s great wine regions. “Food and wine play a central role in connection and memories,” she says. “We make wines that know their place at the table. They are present but not pushy, structured but not aggressive, memorable but not demanding.”
Born in Serre Chevalier Valley in the high French Alpsnear the Italian border, Camille grew up in a family of mountaineers and alpinists, training as a professional skier. At the young age of fourteen, she became restless and eager to see the world, thus leaving the mountains for culinary school—the International School of Cooking in Grenoble and Lyon—where she learned the rigorous discipline of classical French gastronomy. Working in renowned restaurants alongside Michelin-starred chefs, Camille developed an ethos of hard work, precision, and respect for craft that would later translate seamlessly into winemaking. “Winemaking is closely related to hospitality work,” she reflects. “You don’t become a winemaker or a chef if you’re not deeply passionate.”
After earning her sommelier certification—an intensive 18-month program covering wines, spirits, cheese, tea, and more—Camille worked in a wine shop in Grenoble, the oldest in the city, selecting wines from producers across France. “You can’t truly sell a product without understanding how it was made,” she explains. That realization sent her back to school, this time pursuing a Master’s degree in winemaking at the University of Bordeaux, followed by harvest stints in Australia, New Zealand, and France.
In 2011, a family connection brought Camille to Napa Valley to work with winemaker Julien Fayard. Napa offers quality, diversity, and the creative freedom that makes great winemaking possible,” she says. “California is youthful and less rigid, allowing space to innovate while still honoring the classical principals of Bordeaux.”
Camille began working with the Taplin family in 2012, and the connection was immediate. “I am excited by the opportunity to make wines that reflect the generational continuity of this multi-generational family,” she explains. Over the past decade, Camille and Julien have worked closely with the family to refine farming practices, replant vineyards with rootstocks better adapted to the changing-Napa climate while dialing in a winemaking style that balances ripeness with freshness and power with elegance.
