Ashley Hepworth

Winemaker, Hensel West

Ashley Hepworth is an award-winning Napa Valley winemaker and respected industry leader dedicated to crafting wines that authentically reflect their site, vintage, and the vision behind each brand. Her winemaking philosophy emphasizes purity, balance, and a sense of place, allowing the vineyards and vintages to speak for themselves.

With more than 25 years of winemaking experience, Ashley brings deep expertise and passion to every project she takes on. Before founding her consulting business in 2023, AH Wine Consulting (AHWC), she began her career at Joseph Phelps as a harvest intern in 1999, advancing through the ranks to Associate Winemaker in 2004.

She then spent 15 years as the head winemaker at Joseph Phelps Vineyards where she oversaw production of the estate’s celebrated wines, including its flagship Insignia and Single-Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Backus. She had the privilege of working closely with the winery’s founder, Joe Phelps.

Her refined palate was first shaped in the restaurant world, most notably in the kitchen of Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. She holds a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Fort Lewis College and a Winemaking Certificate from UC Davis. In 2005, she broadened her experience with a harvest at Château Angélus in Saint-Émilion.

Today, Ashley consults for a dozen Brands across Napa Valley and beyond, in addition to crafting her own wines: A.Aitch, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and Abloom, a luxury Grenache Rosé made in collaboration with winemakers Molly Hill and Sally Johnson Blum.

Originally from Colorado, Ashley is an avid skier, hiker, and mountain biker who has summited many of the state’s 14ers and even Mount Kilimanjaro during an Outward Bound expedition in Africa. Her greatest reward comes from plotting adventures with her husband, Greg, and their two children.

Country born: USA

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years