For most winemakers, leaving Napa Valley is a move that requires an explanation.

For Kyle Mizuno, it was an opportunity.

“Everyone jokes about why you’d leave Napa,” Mizuno said with a laugh. “But for me, it was all about cool-climate wine.”

After years spent working in some of America’s most recognized wine regions, Mizuno arrived at Rolling Hills Estate Winery in New York’s Champlain Valley with something many winemakers rarely find: a blank canvas.

“In Napa, you make Cabernet Sauvignon, then bigger Cabernet Sauvignon, then bigger Cabernet Sauvignon,” Mizuno said. “You can get caught in the same rut, the same hamster wheel. Here, it’s a new region, a new AVA, exciting varieties, and no defined style. That’s fun.”

That sense of possibility is exactly what attracted him to Rolling Hills, where the winery’s leadership is pursuing an ambitious vision far larger than a single tasting room.

Perched on a spectacular property overlooking Lake Champlain, Rolling Hills sits near one of the original test vineyards that helped establish the Champlain Valley AVA in 2016. Chief of Staff Missy Leonard believes the region is only beginning to realize its potential.

“We want to make Champlain Valley the next ‘it’ wine region,” Leonard said. “We’ve proven there’s an opportunity here and that it can work.”