Larry Maguire

Larry Maguire is president emeritus and vice chairman of Far Niente, and an owner of sister wineries Dolce, Nickel & Nickel, EnRoute, Bella Union, and Post & Beam.

The California native took his first job in the wine industry with Napa Valley’s Franciscan Winery in 1975, where he learned the intricacies of the fine wine industry under Justin Meyer, a leader in the rebirth of the Napa Valley wine community. Larry remained with Franciscan until 1983.

At the same time that Larry was honing his skills in sales and marketing, Gil and Beth Nickel were laying the groundwork to transform Far Niente into a world-class wine estate. Larry joined the Nickels and their fledgling winery in 1983, charged with developing marketing and sales strategies. In 1991, Larry was named a partner and appointed managing director of Far Niente, and in 1997 he became president and CEO. He was named vice chairman of Far Niente and its sister wineries in 2008.

Under Larry’s leadership, Far Niente has grown from a small, locally known winery into a critically acclaimed producer whose wines are marketed in the finest wine circles in the United States and abroad. Passionate about wine, Larry regularly visits the great wine regions of the world.

A graduate of St. Mary’s College of California with a degree in Economics, Larry has also completed marketing strategy courses at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  Larry has served in leadership positions with the Oakville Winegrowers Association, the Wine Service Co-op, and the Napa Valley chapter of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. He is a former instructor of wine education at Napa Valley College. Larry and his family reside in St. Helena. He is a published songwriter with songs on iTunes and Spotify.

Larry has been actively involved with Festival Napa Valley since its inception in 2006, and joined the Board of Directors in 2009.