About Us
Javelina Leap, Our Story
Javelina Leap vineyard and winery is a second generation, family owned and operated, premium boutique winery featuring award winning wines made from 100% arizona grown grapes. Our winery is in northern Arizona’s Verde Valley minutes away from Sedona in a small historic place called Page Springs.
Our story begins with Javelina Leap's founder/owner Rod Snapp who came to Arizona in the 1970's. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion and years spent in the world of culinary arts naturally submersed him in the wine world as well. Soon there was a dream of starting his own winery in Arizona. Much of the northern Arizona terrain reminded Rod of vineyards he had seen along the way. Especially the original steep slope of famous Stags Leap. After selling his successful B&B in Sedona, he began his 7 year subatical working for free at a vineyard and winery and traveling to educational conferences such as ''The Hot Weather Grape Growers Symposium''. Eventually 10 1/4 acres of virgin property on the south facing slope of House Mountain (an extinct volcano), 3,800 feet above sea level was purchased. Together with wife Cynthia, Javelina Leap Vineyard & Winery was born. Rod and Cynthia Snapp are pioneers in the wine industry. Thier vineyard and winery license was among the first 10 licenses to be issued in the state of Arizona. Now there are over 150 and counting.
Rod and Cynthia were soon joined by son Lucas and his wife Kim. The torch has been passed. Rod and Cynthia are still relatively active in the winery business but Lucas and Kim are in charge for the most part. The family still lives on site now joined by grandsons Emmett and Julian (3rd generation) who are being raised on the Javelina Leap Vineyard.
Our name 'Javelina Leap' is the combination of two things. Javelina which are native to Arizona and live in an around the vineyard and a tribute to Stags Leap winery in California for putting American wines on the map. In 1973 in a blind tasting by a panel of French judges (The Judgment of Paris Competition), Stags Leap prevailed over all of it's French competitors not once but twice! This forever changed things for winemakers in the United States...for that we salute!
You can read more about Javelina the animal on our historical info page.