The Author

About Jan Krupp

Physician · Vintner · Author

From Healing People to Cultivating Vines

Jan Krupp is a physician-turned-vintner who, alongside his brother Bart, overcame overwhelming odds to create one of Napa Valley’s largest and most celebrated vineyards. He later co-founded Krupp Brothers Winery and lives in Napa Valley, where his life and legacy remain rooted in the land.

The Vision

An Impossible Dream

Dr. Jan Krupp is a physician turned vintner whose determination and vision—shared with his brother Bart—transformed a mountainous stretch of volcanic wilderness spanning Napa Valley’s Atlas Peak and Pritchard Hill into one of California’s most celebrated vineyards.

The Making

Science Meets the Land

A graduate of Yale University and Stanford University School of Medicine, Jan practiced internal medicine for more than two decades before pursuing an audacious dream: to grow world-class Cabernet Sauvignon on land that experts deemed impossible to plant.

Breaking Ground

Blasting Rock, Finding Water

Armed with scientific precision, unyielding perseverance, and a deep belief in the potential of the land, Jan spent years blasting rock, finding water, and nurturing vines in the thin mountain soil. Their creation, Stagecoach Vineyard, would go on to supply fruit to many of Napa’s most esteemed wineries.

Stagecoach Vineyard — Atlas Peak & Pritchard Hill
Krupp Brothers Winery, Napa Valley

The Legacy

Krupp Brothers Winery

Jan later co-founded Krupp Brothers Winery with Bart, crafting wines that reflect the beauty, complexity, and grit of the vineyard they developed. His journey—from healing people to cultivating vines and producing wine—reveals the intersection of science, art and willpower.

The Memoir

Forging Eden

An Impossible Dream and the Making of a Legendary Vineyard

Available October 27, 2026