Winemaking Philosophy

I try to make wines that people will remember. It may sound a little odd, but my vision for the perfect wine is the shape of an egg. The egg is a terrifically strong structure, with no sharp edges. Imagine the flavor widening out in your mouth until it touches every important spot on your palate, then tapers off slowly in a round finish. I try to explore the limits of what each vineyard block can produce, what every step in winemaking can do to make this year’s wines better than last year's.

When I first started making these wines, I wanted people to taste Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel and say, "Gee, I didn’t know Zin could do that." Now, I want new people to discover the wines, while others admire them as a constant standard, a benchmark for what can be done with Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc.

I also want the aromas in a wine to lead directly to the flavors you get, and for there to be layers of flavor: dark fruits and spice with Zinfandel, and tropical fruits in the .