In late 2001, as the technology bubble was bursting and our “day jobs” were looking less secure we decided to take the plunge and follow our dream of learning how to make wine. Instead of going to school we headed to Europe that Spring where we worked for Éric Texier, a renowned winemaker in the Rhône Valley and Burgundy (Chardonnay). Our timing was quite good as we were able to participate in the élevage (the practices of aging and blending the wine after fermentation but before bottling) for the 2000 and 2001 vintages, become familiar with the winery operations and get acquainted with our new life in Europe before the harvest got underway. The 2002 harvest in the Rhône Valley proved to be one of the most difficult in years as early September saw a years worth of rain in the span of 36 hours! But it was a whole different story for the Chardonnay in Burgundy where it was a near perfect year. The contrast between the regions was amazing and the learning derived from the difficult conditions was invaluable. In January of 2003 we left France and all of the 2002’s safely tucked in their barrels for élevage.

We returned to California determined to start our own winery and after much debate we made wine in 2003 as garagiste winemakers. This allowed us another year of both having our much needed “day jobs.” In 2003 we made two Syrah’s from El Dorado and a Chardonnay from the Chalone Appellation. We spent most of that spring researching California terroir, meeting growers and tasting wines because we considered this our dress rehearsal for 2004 so our goal was to establish long term relationships with the growers. We didn’t do too bad. In 2004, with our commercial winery license in hand, we returned to the Carson Ridge vineyard for Syrah and to the Brosseau vineyard for Chardonnay. In addition we brought on two more Syrahs and a Grenache Gris vineyard.

Becoming a winery was much more difficult than becoming winemakers. It is definitely not a trivial task to obtain any type of alcohol license in the United States. However, the winery license is considered the top of the food chain by the various regulators and therefore requires an amazing number of forms in triplicate, finger prints, birth certificates, and blood samples. Okay maybe not the blood sample but it was not a fast and speedy process to say the least. We probably made it more difficult for ourselves as we rent space from Crushpad (or in legal terms we are in an Alternating Proprietorship). This means we have our own winery license and bond but we get to share space and equipment with Crushpad. Sharing space with Crushpad turned out to be an excellent decision because in addition to gaining access to the facility and equipment (which includes an amazing 1000 square foot refrigerator!) we also get the opportunity to compare and contrast winemaking styles and experiments with the other winemakers. We love to experiment so having the ability to observe additional experiments and learning has proven invaluable. It is also super convenient for me since I work for Crushpad. Jared has kept his day job for the time being so he makes wine on the side and during harvest has to explain why his hands are purple.
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