Vineyard Management
Ulises Valdez
With more than 20 harvests behind him, Ulises has risen to the top of his profession. Widely considered to be one of the most knowledgeable and skilled vineyard managers in the wine country, Ulises has worked with some of the most important wineries in California including Paul Hobbs, Mark Aubert, Kent Rosenblum, and Jeff Cohn. Robert Parker, Jr. said of Ulises that he is “one of the finest viticultural managers in northern California” and that “he is unquestionably at the top of his field.” Ulises oversaw the planting and development of our estate and is responsible for the on going management of the property.
Ben McWilliams
From the very beginning Ben’s passions have always revolved around nature and the outdoors. This love drew Ben to the University of Colorado - Boulder where he graduated in 2003 with a degree in Business Administration. After graduation, Ben volunteered for the Peace Corps and spent the next two years living and working in rural Honduras with local coffee farmers to implement sustainable coffee growing techniques as a means to add value to their goods. During these two years Ben was able to hone his agricultural skills and see first hand the power and importance of organic and biodynamic farming – techniques which are employed in our estate vineyard.
After spending additional time working in South America, he chose to return to Sonoma County to establish roots of his own. He continues to enhance his knowledge of viticulture while working in vineyard development and grower relations.