Mendocino's first vineyards were planted during the American Civil War. Italian immigrants penetrated the wilderness and found a place reminiscent of their steep hillside farms back home. John Parducci's immigrant father arrived in the United States in 1912 and sold grapes to home winemakers across the country. During that time, John was learning the art of winemaking from his father, 200 legal gallons at a time, of course.

John continued making wine at his family's winery until the late 1980s. He purchased the McNab Ridge Winery in 1999 to continue his tradition of making classic Mendocino County varietal wines. John knew the McNab Valley area well, having grown up hunting deer, turkey and wild boar on the ridges and valleys around the McNab Ranch.

John's grandson Rich Parducci grew up in Mendocino County like his grandfather. He joined John at McNab Ridge following the 1999 harvest. Rich has a winemaking degree from California State University at Fresno, and held various winemaking positions before accepting the head job at McNab Ridge.