Braised Morrocan Beef
BBQ Ti-tip with carmelized Onions
Grilled ribeye with blue cheese

Jon Phillips
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.

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 at 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.

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. Besides continuing our efforts in producing a quality product, our new focus has been to broaden our distribution through expansion of our commercial accounts.

These are exciting times for our winery!

Cheers! Jon