Have fun, that’s our simple philosophy.
Napa wine has become so stuffy. It seems more important to follow fashion rather than instinct. Buy it for the wine, not the pretense.
Hoopla is contrary, great grapes shape our wines, not trends – it’s pretty straightforward. Zzzz…is that your bored palate we hear? Treat it to a little fun.
Fun, lively, full of life with a non-conformist attitude. No, it’s not the tasting notes of our next wine, that was Dante, Spencer’s little dog. Some might say favorite child. The original boss around here.
This little pooch embodied the Hoopla spirit, that’s why his picture will always grace our label. He lived to the ripe old age of 137, in dog years of course, and kept working until the end. There was never a quiet moment for the wild turkeys who dared encroach on his vineyard while he was on patrol!
After their beloved terrier, Dante, passed away, the family adopted two rescue dogs, littermates Maya and Sophie. Hoopla now represents fun-times-two! Lindsay calls them her super-model Corgis, as they have all the features except their sleek, long legs must come from a taller parent.
Irresistible, energetic and full of mischief, these girls love to dig up the Hoopes family flower garden. Their motto is ‘do what you want, and apologize later…but only if you have to.’ Maya and Sophie do help out though at harvest time. When this dynamic duo started eating the grapes from the vines, Spencer and Lindsay know it’s time to get picking!
Spencer grew up on a farm in southeast Arizona. Farming, though not grape-growing, has always been part of his DNA. A random meeting led Spencer to a wine tasting in San Francisco. Inspired, Spencer created a wine club with friends and started collecting wine. In the early 1980s, he bought ten acres in Oakville, Napa Valley and planted the vineyard with new Cabernet Sauvignon vines which are 35 years old now!
In 1999, the Hoopes family launched their own label. Today Spencer and Lindsay walk the vineyards and make plans for the future of this exceptional soil. “With the combination of the soil, the rootstock, the clone, and the way we are farming, we get a really unique Cabernet. The fruit produces a fantastic nose in the glass and you get really bright fruit flavors in the mouth,” says Spencer.
Spencer is an avid outdoorsman and accomplished marksman, who also has a passion for fly fishing, skiing and camping. Spencer’s love for family and the land is alive and well.
Lindsay has always been a wine enthusiast, due in large part to growing up on the vineyard. She grew up walking in the vineyards alongside her dad, Spencer Hoopes. Together the family spent many afternoons talking about growing cycles and wine branding. This gave Lindsay a unique perspective. Those afternoon conversations have served her very well in the wine business, where since 2013 she has been one of the youngest winery General Managers in Napa and one of a very small number of women who run wineries in the Napa Valley.
An avid traveler, ski enthusiast, photographer, chef and animal lover, Lindsay brings a genuine passion and spirit of adventure to the winery. Lindsay has many new ideas for the winery, but retains a sincere reverence for the history of the region and her farm origins. Lindsay is a member of Next Gen, the “next generation” of winemakers who grew up in the Napa Valley, and in many cases worked alongside their families in the wine business before leaving to go to school or work in other places.
Fun, lively, full of life with a non-conformist attitude. No, it’s not the tasting notes of our next wine, that was Dante, Spencer’s little dog. Some might say favorite child. The original boss around here.
This little pooch embodied the Hoopla spirit, that’s why his picture will always grace our label. He lived to the ripe old age of 137, in dog years of course, and kept working until the end. There was never a quiet moment for the wild turkeys who dared encroach on his vineyard while he was on patrol!
After their beloved terrier, Dante, passed away, the family adopted two rescue dogs, littermates Maya and Sophie. Hoopla now represents fun-times-two! Lindsay calls them her super-model Corgis, as they have all the features except their sleek, long legs must come from a taller parent.
Irresistible, energetic and full of mischief, these girls love to dig up the Hoopes family flower garden. Their motto is ‘do what you want, and apologize later…but only if you have to.’ Maya and Sophie do help out though at harvest time. When this dynamic duo started eating the grapes from the vines, Spencer and Lindsay know it’s time to get picking!
Spencer grew up on a farm in southeast Arizona. Farming, though not grape-growing, has always been part of his DNA. A random meeting led Spencer to a wine tasting in San Francisco. Inspired, Spencer created a wine club with friends and started collecting wine. In the early 1980s, he bought ten acres in Oakville, Napa Valley and planted the vineyard with new Cabernet Sauvignon vines which are 35 years old now!
In 1999, the Hoopes family launched their own label. Today Spencer and Lindsay walk the vineyards and make plans for the future of this exceptional soil. “With the combination of the soil, the rootstock, the clone, and the way we are farming, we get a really unique Cabernet. The fruit produces a fantastic nose in the glass and you get really bright fruit flavors in the mouth,” says Spencer.
Spencer is an avid outdoorsman and accomplished marksman, who also has a passion for fly fishing, skiing and camping. Spencer’s love for family and the land is alive and well.
Lindsay has always been a wine enthusiast, due in large part to growing up on the vineyard. She grew up walking in the vineyards alongside her dad, Spencer Hoopes. Together the family spent many afternoons talking about growing cycles and wine branding. This gave Lindsay a unique perspective. Those afternoon conversations have served her very well in the wine business, where since 2013 she has been one of the youngest winery General Managers in Napa and one of a very small number of women who run wineries in the Napa Valley.
An avid traveler, ski enthusiast, photographer, chef and animal lover, Lindsay brings a genuine passion and spirit of adventure to the winery. Lindsay has many new ideas for the winery, but retains a sincere reverence for the history of the region and her farm origins. Lindsay is a member of Next Gen, the “next generation” of winemakers who grew up in the Napa Valley, and in many cases worked alongside their families in the wine business before leaving to go to school or work in other places.
Hoopla wines are irresistible, energetic, and fun - just like our rescue dogs, Maya and Sophie. Good wine does not need to be too serious to enjoy, and that is our philosophy. We give top notch grapes to our team of winemakers, and ask them to make something different that will make your tail wag with delight. Be the alpha dog and buy a case - you’ll have the perfect party gift to bring all year.
Serendipity was in the morning air when Maya and Sophie took Lindsay for a walk down a Yountville country lane. Maya, the feisty one, spied a jack rabbit and bounded off in hot pursuit. When Lindsay caught up with her, she found herself surrounded by some fine looking Chardonnay vines. Always on the look-out for the best fruit for Hoopla, with some neighborhood super-sleuthing, Lindsay tracked down the vineyard owner and kept talking until she got his handshake. That chance discovery gave us really great Chardonnay that we offer at a really great price. In fact, chasing rabbits is exactly what we’re talking about. This cheeky Chardonnay will make you want to get into some mischief too.
This wine is delicious with roast chicken and buttery mashed potatoes, fish tacos, Chinese chicken salad, lobster mac and cheese, triple crème Brie slathered on French baguette and salt & pepper flavored kettle-cooked potato chips.
When big sister Hoopes Vineyard got their rosé, Maya and Sophie jumped up and barked ‘me too!’ After all, girls just want to have fun, and what’s more footloose and fancy-free than hanging by the pool or on the beach with your favorite peeps and a couple of chilled bottles of fruity pink wine. Like it’s littermate “The Mutt” this rosé is a big blend of everything in the winery that sounded good. The first sniff will make your ears prick up, the first taste will leave you begging for more! Rose all day? Yes please.
Our California Cabernet is a nod to Dante. Dedicating this wine, from the king of grapes, to our original boss just made sense to us. Like any king worth his salt, Dante was sure of his alpha status in the pack. Spencer didn’t even have to pat the passenger seat before he’d jump up and claim ‘shotgun!’ Lindsay was a good sport about sitting in the back.
Like Dante, this Cabernet was born and raised here with true California pedigree. It is a luscious, juicy, fruit-centric wine, with a whimsical and punchy mouthfeel, layered with flavors of baking spices and clove. A pleasure to drink easily, anytime, with food or without!
“The Mutt” was inspired by Maya and Sophie, our beloved rescue dogs. “The Mutt,” like Maya and Sophie, is playful, unique and interesting. The grapes used are the “seconds”—what we don’t use in our premium wines, we salvage and use in “The Mutt.” Maya and Sophie aren’t shy about their pedigrees, and we’re not shy about using “seconds,” either, because they make a wine made from premium grapes very affordable and tasty, too. So come take a walk on the wild side—this Merlotful red blend will have you running through the vineyards, leaping for joy!