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Can you believe that we have been actively producing wines
since the turn of the century?
Slight exaggeration, but actually true. Although
it has only been since 1999 that Barbara and I started producing
wine for friends and family, our fascination with wine goes
back a long way. In fact, wine is what brought us together.
We met while I was working at Mirassou Winery's tasting room
in San Jose, California. It may also be possible that my
interest in wine is in my blood. My great-grandparents owned
vineyards in San Martin, California in the early 1900s (see
photo below).
After leaving Mirassou, my knowledge and interest in wine continued
to grow. I began independently teaching wine appreciation classes
on the San Francisco Peninsula. Subsequently, I took classes
through UC Davis Extension in Enology and Viticulture. Then
in 1999, Barbara and I produced our first wine, one barrel
of Contra Costa Zinfandel using grapes purchased from Rosenblum
Cellars.
As production expanded and the medals started validating
our efforts, we became more and more aware that steps
needed to be taken to move our home winery operations
into a larger facility that could be bonded and licensed
to produce a commercial product. So in 2001 our dreams
came true and we bought a beautiful 6 acre property
in Sonoma County, complete with 4.5 acres of vineyards.
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In
2002, while waiting for our permits, we contracted with
another winery facility where we could produce our first
commercial wines. In June of 2003, we announced our
first release, and by fall our official winery operation
began on-site, with the production of approximately
500 cases.
By 2009 our production
had grown to approximately 2000 cases and it was time
to look for a larger space to produce and sell our wines.
In September 2010, we moved our winemaking operations
and opened a tasting room in the Pinecreek Business
Park where alongside several other well known wineries,
we are now open daily for tours and wine tasting.
These are exciting times
for our winery! Thank you for visiting us today. Please
check back often for new developments and information
about our current and future wine releases.
Cheers! Jon
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