Wine has always been a part of my life, most often connected to the simple enjoyment of a family meal. Grape growing and wine making have been my professional life and love since 1980. As a young winemaker, I was enthralled with the rapid rate of technological advances in the industry. I thought expensive French barrels, shiny stainless equipment, and the latest techniques would ensure the production of wonderful wines, vintage after vintage.

Now I realize my most valuable tools are experience and intuition. A winemaker uses all of his or her senses (yes, even auditory) in perfecting the craft, but the art is in that sixth sense. Working with small batches of grapes from select vineyards, stripping down the winemaking process to the basics, staying small and simple, being the guiding hand day by day: these are the secrets of wine quality. Focused, yet relaxed, as I toil away among the vines or in the cellar, I’m fully attuned to that sixth sense. This is how I’m finally making my best wines.