In 2012, I decided to “retire” from teaching college English Literature and see what what I could do with my little wine shop that I had opened as hobby four years earlier. I quickly realized that while I wasn’t grading papers, I still needed to research, to learn, and to create. I needed to understand why it was important that wines were made with indigenous yeast, among so many other statements that I read and repeated. What does this mean and how do they do that? Why does it matter? With that inquisitive spirit in mind, I decided to try my hand at a harvest, so I could really understand this product that I was suddenly representing. I wanted to know what I was talking about, first hand.

I was thrilled to participate in the harvest at Gourt de Mautens with Jerome Bressy in Rasteau, and I learned a lot, but that experience didn’t satisfy my curiosity. When I told my friend and wine maker, Nicole Abiouness, that I felt I wanted to do more, she invited me to help her with a harvest in California. She told me to make one barrel of my own wine, so I that I could really get a sense of why certain decisions in the vineyard and in the winery matter so much. That was 2016. All I can say is that one barrel wasn’t enough! I loved it, and I still do.

I began with Rhone varietals because that is often what I like to drink, and I thought it would be fun to see what my favorite French varietals would taste like when grown in California soil. They are different, but I believe that they invoke the spirit and warmth of the Southern Rhone—the place where I first fell in love with wine.

I believe that good wine starts in the vineyard, so I source responsibly grown fruit from small vineyards all over Northern California by wonderful and talented growers, who do most of the work for me. I have been lucky enough to get fantastic grapes from Eaglepoint Ranch, Stanly Ranch, Rorick Heritage Vineyard, Magic Lake, and Windmill, among others. My current production is about 500 cases annually, and, most importantly, I value quality over quantity.

I would not have this brand if it were not for the support, friendship, and advice from Nicole and so many friends in the wine world. I have no formal training, but there is a spirit of collaboration in the world of wine and I have had the good fortune of being the recipient of that knowledge and advice far beyond my wildest dreams. I am grateful for that and for the chance to share a bottle of my wine with you.

Cheers, Maria