Our Experience and the Journey is to Create World Class Wines
Thinking back to Europe, vineyards were recognized for the great wines they created. Great wines were created in the vineyard and the winemaker's relationship with the seasons. It was simple and traditional winemaking. It is that relationship we strive for in our winemaking; to protect the qualities of great vineyards.
David Lucas:
“My goal is to create wines which reflect their environment; that represent the place they come from. I used to make what I call “terrifying” wines, high alcohol, jammy, port like, and un-age-able. While I was employed by a world- class winery for 16 years, responsible for the vineyards, research, and grape supply; I had the opportunity to visit some of the world's great vineyards, to stand in those vineyards, and to taste the grapes and wines they produced. I discovered that the wines I was making were nothing at all like those wonderful, balanced and elegantly, structured wines. So, I started on a long journey. Years of research and experimentation led to the completion of the new winery in 2000. Our goal is to create wines that will develop with time in the bottle, for that is where the Genie, the bouquet, lives.”
Heather Pyle Lucas:
“After making wines for 16 years at the Robert Mondavi Winery where I was responsible for their Cabernet Reserve and Opus wines I began to apply my vast experience to help start-up wineries in Napa and throughout California. I found that my winemaking heart and soul belongs to the farming of grapes. I personally spend more time in the vineyard than I do in the winery. I am a traditionalist and my own vineyard and winegrowing reflects this with organically grown grapes. My mantra is to make seamless wines that are distinctive and age-worthy. Although I'm not great with machinery yet, I love discovering a vineyard through its wines and how to fine tune the vines and hence the wines they produce. Best of all; however, is the ability to get up in the middle of the night in my pajamas and check on how the fermentations are doing …”
Scooby:
Executive in charge of Meeting and Greeting (M&G). Scooby is a skilled meeter and greeter utilizing such hospitality industry standards as “give me five”, “surfs up”, and “wipe out”. He is easily distracted so we ask that you do not scratch him behind the ears and drive him to tears. Scooby is skilled at pinpointing the optimum grape sweetness and harvest flavors, via his tried and true picking and licking methodology. We have all learned a lot from Scooby as he lives on the sunny side of life!