Goosecross was founded in the 1970s with the original plantings on State Lane in Yountville — back when Napa Valley roads were empty, doors were always open, and pretension hadn't yet crossed the threshold. The name comes from a piece of local legend: a male goose once injured his wing over the property during migration and had to drop out of formation. Since geese mate for life, his partner stayed with him. They settled in, discovered California winters weren't so bad, and never left. Geese still appear on the property today, almost always in pairs heading to the Napa River at sunset.

In 2021, Dave Ficeli and Christi Coors Ficeli — who had moved to Napa in 2003 and spent years building wine brands and dreaming of their own estate — purchased Goosecross and became the next generation of stewards. Their answer to the first question everyone asked was immediate: the name stays. Forever.

Goosecross produces four distinct tiers — State Lane (estate-grown Yountville), Napa Valley (approachable, terroir-driven), Micro-lot (ultra-small single-vineyard bottlings), and Abstract (creative, experimental releases). The estate centers on the State Lane Vineyard in Yountville, farmed with a long-game mindset and a serious commitment to sustainability.

Winemaker Bill Nancarrow — a New Zealand native who trained across four continents, including time at Duckhorn Vineyards where he became Executive Winemaker — joined Goosecross in 2013. Known around the winery as the "mad scientist," Bill constantly experiments with new techniques: compost tea fertigation in the vineyard, foot-treaded skin-contact Chardonnay, native yeast fermentations. His guiding principle, shaped by mentor Kate Radburn at Pask Winery, is regional and varietal authenticity with a constant eye to sustainability.

Christi Coors Ficeli — great-great-granddaughter of Adolph Coors — co-owns Goosecross and shapes the culture and style of the wines, working closely with Bill on each vintage. She previously worked with E&J Gallo and her family's distributorship company before helping acquire and reimagine the Goosecross estate. Dave Ficeli co-owns and leads marketing and business strategy, bringing years of experience building wine brands and overseeing Jackson Family Wines' Napa properties. Angelica Hernandez, a Napa Valley native with stints at Quintessa, Mayacamas, and Honig, serves as Estate Director. Bill Nancarrow leads winemaking.