Elkhorn Peak Cellars:
A Commerce7 site for the next generation of micro-winery success
Problem
When Commerce7 offered WineDirect wineries a complimentary migration, Elkhorn Peak took it. The family knew the package was a shorter scope than a full website build, and still wanted a site that showed the brand at its best and made it easy to book a visit, join the club and buy the wines.
Background
Elkhorn Peak is a family-owned micro-winery in Jamieson Canyon, in the southeastern hills of Napa Valley, where Ken Nerlove planted the first vines in 1983. His eldest daughter, Elise Nerlove, is now general manager and winemaker, and she is driving the brand’s growth. She runs the Wine Club, leads marketing and sales, and has added Pet-Nat, White Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc to a Pinot Noir range. The winery sells through its own website and Wine Club, and its earlier website ran on Wix.
Solution
We moved Elkhorn Peak to WordPress and Commerce7 and rebuilt the existing site, which launched in May 2025. We reworked how the wines, visits and story are presented, gave Elise Nerlove room to shape formats, fonts and colors, and walked her through Commerce7’s plugins, personalization blocks and dynamic content, with guidance on backend optimization and SEO she can carry forward.
“When I first connected with Polly and Michael at 5forests, I had a strong sense that I was in good hands—and I was absolutely right. From the start, it was clear they were smart, experienced, and incredibly well-equipped to guide me through the migration from WineDirect to Commerce7. I later learned that Michael is even a contributor to the C7 coding team, which only confirmed that I was working with the best of the best.
Elise Nerlove, Elkhorn Peak Cellars
I chose to use the complimentary migration package offered by C7 to WineDirect clients, knowing it would be a more abbreviated version of a full website build. Even so, Polly and Michael treated the project with a high level of care and professionalism. The 5forests team promised to deliver an elevated version of my existing site—and they absolutely delivered on that promise, and then some.
Polly created a site that perfectly captured the essence of my brand. It feels both sophisticated and homegrown, which is exactly the tone we were going for. Beyond aesthetics, she completely reimagined how we present information, making it more user-friendly and engaging. She also gave me the freedom to play with formats, fonts, and colors—making the process collaborative and creatively fulfilling. Michael helped me navigate the more complex features of Commerce7 with ease. He demystified plugins, personalization blocks, and dynamic content—ushering me (finally!) into the 21st century. He also shared valuable insights on backend optimization and SEO strategy, which I really appreciated and will deploy myself.
Throughout the entire process, both Polly and Michael were responsive, courteous, and thoughtful in their approach. I was mindful of their time and the limited scope of this project, but even within those boundaries, they consistently went above and beyond. It was clear they cared not just about completing the migration, but about how my brand would be presented and perceived.
I had a good feeling about working with 5forests from the very beginning, and I’m so grateful I trusted that instinct. I hope I have the privilege of collaborating with them again on future projects.”
Built for independent growth
The complimentary package covered a move to Commerce7. With an owner this closely involved, we could also rework how Elkhorn Peak looks, reads and sells online.
Before and after
