Bio

BETTY O’SHAUGHNESSY WOOLLS
Proprietor
Betty O’Shaughnessy’s rich journey began in a small southern Minnesota farming
community. Betty was one of two children raised in an impoverished home. School
interested her greatly and fortunately she excelled, graduating first in her class and
venturing to the metropolitan area of Minneapolis/St. Paul where she attended the
University of Minnesota graduating with a degree in mathematics and education.
Betty married her college sweetheart, gave birth to three daughters, and lived the
next two decades as mother, corporate spouse, volunteer, and homemaker. Her love
of food and wine fueled the fires that found her as owner/teacher of a cooking
school. As her children left the nest, she founded her own business as a real estate
investor and developer.
As a tourist, she came to Napa Valley and fell in love with the beauty of the land, the
vineyards, and the climate. In 1990, fortune brought her to Oakville, and a parcel of
land, complete with vineyards, and a home site. It was here that Betty could reconnect
with her deep rooted appreciation of the soil and the bounties it brings. UC
Davis provided the information she needed to transition from Minnesota cornfields
to acres of grape vines. Over the next few years, additional vineyards on Howell
Mountain and Mt. Veeder were added and this became Betty’s legacy,
‘O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery.’ The new century brought a cave, grapes crushed in
to wine and a design for a winery structure. The project was completed in time for
the harvest of 2003.
O’Shaughnessy Winery is only a fraction of what Betty has contributed to the
community over the years. In 1996 she and her family established the
‘O’Shaughnessy Foundation’ with the mission of educating patients, families,
professionals and the public concerning the nature of depression, and manicdepressive
illness as medical diseases, and to foster support, self help, research
towards treatment, and elimination of the disease.
In 2002, spurred by the desire to the put the human touch back in our corporate
world, Betty took on the role as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Napa
Community Bank where she served for nearly four years and still serves as a
director.
There were several years when Betty walked her journey as a single person, and
then in 2004 she met the man who would become her friend, counselor, and
companion. Paul Woolls and Betty were married in September 2006. Joining their
two families brought to Betty a new daughter, Laura. Paul expanded his family circle
by adding three daughters, three sons in law, and seven grandchildren. With great
plans for the future, Betty and Paul continue life’s ride as partners, and enjoy
together the accomplishments of O’Shaughnessy Estate winery.

SEAN CAPIAUX
Winemaker
O’Shaughnessy winemaker Sean Capiaux has deftly established an impressive and
notable career over the past 21 years at prominent wineries around the globe since
his graduation from California State University, Fresno (BS, Enology; minor in
Chemistry) in the late 80’s. In 1994 Sean launched his own label, Capiaux Cellars,
which has garnered consistently favorable reviews among both professional
reviewers and his own following of restaurateurs and consumers. With his rich
history in the wine industry and vibrant resume, it is no surprise that Betty
O’Shaughnessy chose Sean to be the crafting hand behind O’Shaughnessy wine.
He began his career at Jordan Winery in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley where
he worked for two years before joining Houghton Winery located outside Perth in
Western Australia. After experiencing the harvest in Australia, Sean returned to the
United States to work as assistant winemaker at Pine Ridge Winery in the Stags
Leap district of Napa Valley. Two years later Sean joined Peter Michael Winery in
Calistoga as the assistant winemaker where he worked for four years. In 1996, Sean
and his wife Gina moved to New York so that Gina could attend Cornell University
Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York City. As a bicoastal winemaker,
Sean continued to produce Capiaux Cellars Pinot Noir in California while also
working as the winemaker for Macari Vineyards, Jamesport Vineyards and
Schneider Vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island, NY. In 2000, Betty
O’Shaughnessy recruited Sean to be the winemaker for her new O’Shaughnessy
Estate Winery on Howell Mountain, and Sean and Gina returned to the Napa Valley.
Sean works as COO and winemaker for O'Shaughnessy winery today, consistently
crafting world class mountain Cabernets and continuing to make his Capiaux Cellars
Pinot Noir. He, his wife Gina, and their two children, reside in Napa.
* Sean’s winemaking style is neo classic in that modern equipment is used to
produce non interventious wines that are naturally fermented, unfined and
unfiltered thereby showcasing the varietal

MIKE STEFFEL
Director of Sales and Marketing
Like many, Mike Steffel didn’t get in to the wine business until a little later in life.
He worked for 8 years in adolescent Social work in his home state of Minnesota.
Simultaneously, he worked in restaurants and wine shops. When it came time to make
the career change, a full-time job in wine took center stage.
Mike managed a wine store in MN. He then moved to ‘Wine Merchants’ distributor in
Minneapolis where after spending 5 years working with some of the best brands
distributed in MN, he left for a Midwest Regional Manager position with the ‘Chalone
Wine Group.’ He moved his family to Oregon to work for ‘Domaine Serene’ as Director
of Sales.
With a goal of moving to Napa at some point, learning that O’Shaughnessy was hiring
was exciting news. Mike had worked with Betty O’Shaughnessy in the past when she
had started distributing her wines in Minnesota. Mike was hired on as Director of Sales
and Marketing for O’Shaughnessy in the spring of 2007. He currently resides in Napa
with his wife Carrie and their two children.

ANNETTE SUMMERSETT
Hospitality Director
O’Shaughnessy Hospitality Director Annette Summersett came in to the wine world
from a very unique angle. Originally from The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Annette
moved to Los Angeles California, after graduating in 2002 from Western Michigan
University in Kalamazoo, MI with a BA in Communications (film/tv), to pursue a
career in the music industry as a singer songwriter. Six years of the L.A. music
scene reality roller coaster, and one album later, Annette decided to dramatically
change her direction. She moved to Napa Valley in pursuit of wine, her other
passion. Annette enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America’s Professional Wine
Studies program and successfully earned her Certified Wine Professional credential.
Annette jumped at the chance to apply when she heard that O’Shaughnessy Winery
was looking for someone to start up a hospitality program. She currently hosts
tours and tastings by appointment and assists in direct sales and social media.