WOMEN+POWER 2025: Chris Kajani

Chris Kajani appears blissfully in her element, bouncing around in a well-worn pickup truck, wind whipping through her hair, arriving to a pristine viewing site within Bouchaine Vineyards’ nearly 90 acres of planted vines in California wine country’s Carneros.

She talks terroir, maritime influences, and clonal varieties of Pinot Noir as effervescently as a child recites their newly discovered ABCs. This place and this work is who she is, although the Napa Valley native took a bit of time and a circuitous path to her current perch.

A trajectory toward a career in biotech was derailed after taking many wine classes and a chance dinner party encounter with a noted Pinot Noir master, Ed Kurtzman. She went on to earn a master’s degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis, followed by successful stints at both Pahlmeyer Winery and Sainstsbury Winery, including as winemaker at the latter.

In 2015, she came to Bouchaine as the winemaker and general manager, the first woman to hold this position. In 2023, she was promoted to President and still retains the title of winemaker. During this time, the family-owned winery has undergone a transformation of its space and its wines. Chris oversaw the completion of a new hospitality center and a gorgeous demonstration kitchen that plays hosts to talented chefs, whose creations are paired with Bouchaine’s wines. The winery’s outdoor areas are inviting and unpretentious.

Where Bouchaine really excels is with its wines and owners Gerret and Tatiana Copeland have unleashed Chris’ talents, creating some of northern California’s most exquisite wines. The clonal variety bottlings of Pinot Noir create a pure experience of the grape and the terroir of individual vineyard sites when a winemaker delves deeply into the details – which Chris does in spades. Her Alsatian Blend is another favorite and one of Polo Lifestyles’ wine contributor, William Smith’s, favorite wines of 2024.

Chris has also shepherded the award-wining sustainability efforts of Bouchaine. “We live and breathe grapes and wine—but we also live on this dirt, breathe this air and drink this water. We are dedicated to leaving a gentle imprint, so that this land can be enjoyed for generations.”