Winemaking Philosophy
My passion for wine is deeply rooted in my upbringing of growing up on a farm in Northern California and being surrounded by agriculture. This prepared me for a life around wine by teaching me the value of hard work, patience, risk and innovation.
In college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo I became fascinated with viticulture and the winemaking process. Working in the Edna Valley sparked my interest in the Rhone varietals surrounding the Central Coast especially Grenache and Mourvedre. After school I returned home to Northern California, where I worked in the Dunnigan Hills of Western Yolo County. There Syrah continued to captivate me though soon I also became intrigued by Spanish varietals and in particular, the quality of Californian Tempranillo. Since that time I have traveled the world and made wine in numerous spectacular growing regions, including the Marlborough region of New Zealand, McLaren Vale, Australia, and Casablanca, Chile.
But I have always wanted to return to Northern California to start my own project in my hometown. After extensive research and careful selection, in 2007 we planted the vineyard focusing on Spanish and Rhone varietals. My experience working with extremely talented winemakers both abroad and in California taught me to appreciate New World winemaking and appreciation for the uniqueness of each growing region.
In my own cellar, I love to embrace New World winemaking—exploring the convergence of science and art.
I put extreme focus on vineyard health and fruit quality, and in the winery I have a passion for hands-on winemaking and experimenting with a variety of yeast strains and oak barrels.
I practice active winemaking. Our fruit allows us to make rich, flavorful wines because of the ideal conditions of our local vineyards and ample sun exposure. In the winery, each wine is treated uniquely and kept in separatel lots until the final blends are chosen.
- Christopher Turkovich, Winemaker
