MEET THE TEAM
Oscar Llamas
Oscar Llamas was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and comes from a migrant farm worker family. Growing up, he spent eight months each year traveling with his family along the agricultural circuit from California to Washington and Oregon, returning to Mexico for the remaining four months.
In the early 1990s, Oscar settled in Napa Valley, where he has owned and operated Valley Auto Body, a successful collision repair shop for more than 35 years. His entrepreneurial spirit has always driven him, but his roots in farming never left him.
Surrounded by family members working in different areas of the wine industry, starting this wine brand became a natural evolution. He co-founded Llamas Family Wines to celebrate his family's journey and the sacrifices that made it possible. Creating the Llamas Family label is deeply personal to Oscar - it represents gratitude, pride, and the legacy he hopes to pass on to future generations.
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When he's not working, Oscar enjoys traveling, cooking for his family and friends, and watching basketball and football.
Lola Llamas
Lola Llamas is a Napa Valley native with deep family roots in viticulture. Her grandfather, John Torres worked in Napa Valley vineyards for more than 40 years and was a master grafter, teaching this highly skilled craft to others during his time at Beaulieu Vineyard and Trefethen Vineyards.
With over 30 years of experience in the legal industry, Lola brings a strong business foundation to her role as co-founder of Llamas Family Wines. She holds a business degree from Saint Mary’s College and is a graduate of the Executive Wine MBA program (Cohort 4) at Sonoma State University, completed in August 2017. During the program she traveled to the renowned wine regions of France and South Africa and participated in a consulting project for a South African winery.
Lola truly enjoys being a part of the wine industry and is continually inspired by the learning, collaboration, and community it offers. She values her partnership with her husband, Oscar and nephew, Alex and looks forward to growing the Llamas Family Wines brand while building meaningful relationships throughout the wine community.
Outside of wine, Lola enjoys traveling, pilates classes, and spending time with her family and friends.
Alejandro Castillo Llamas
Alex grew up in the fields. As migrant workers, his parents followed the same route each year, traveling with their children and a troop of assorted family members from outside the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco in Mexico all the way to Portland, Oregon and back. Along the way, they would harvest fields, orchards and vineyards – everything from Thompson Seedless and Concord grapes in the Coachella Valley to pears in Fairfield, California to cherries in Oregon and olives in Corning, California. Although only a child, Alex, like many migrant children, worked side by side with his parents before and after school. His early exposure to the cultivation of crops helped to instill a sense of connection to the land. When Alex’s family finally settled in Napa, his father and many of his uncles took jobs working the vineyards of Napa Valley – ultimately planting and managing the first acres of what would later become the famed Stagecoach Vineyard which they still oversee today. Alex continued to work alongside and learned firsthand the meaning of terroir and the effect of the environment and management practices on winegrape quality. Driven to take his experience in the fields a step further, Alex began exploring the world of wine and developed a love for fine dining. Working at restaurants such as The French Laundry and Per Se, Alex learned the importance of precision, care and detail and was exposed to some of the great wines of the world. His passion for wine ignited, Alex decided to pursue his own winemaking venture, honoring his heritage by exclusively sourcing grapes from vineyards farmed by his family. In his free time, Alex can be found fishing; hanging out with Chapala, his beautiful Blue Heeler; cooking gourmet meals for his wife, Michelle; and drinking incredible wines!
