Before PlumpJack Estate Winery’s inception, just a humble wine store opened in 1992 in the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco called PlumpJack Wines. Then, based on mutual love and passion for wine, California Governor Gavin Newsom and composer/philanthropist Gordon Getty opened the wine store, providing an approachable environment to learn about and shop for wine.

Newsom and Getty were inspired by one of Shakespeare’s most memorable characters, Sir John “PlumpJack” Falstaff. A down-to-earth, fun-loving, irreverent character, he was rivaled only by his fierce loyalty to Prince Hal (Henry V), with whom he shares more than a few goblets of sack (wine) at the local tavern. With this philosophy in mind and an opportunity to create their winery, Newsom and Getty acquired a century-old 42-acre vineyard in Napa Valley.