The story of the Estate vineyard began in 1998 when I first discovered this property that would be Big Basin Vineyards. My passion for Syrah and feeling that it would be ideally suited to these steep hillsides of the coastal Santa Cruz Mountains compelled me to make it our starting point. With help from Rhone Ranger John Alban as our viticultural consultant, I began the process of discovery to begin creating the palette of varietals (colors) that would form the basis of our Estate wines.

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Big Basin Vineyards all started with an unbridled passion for wine which led to a desire to grow fine wine grapes. But really before that, I have always felt a deep connection with nature – a semester living outdoors on NOLs (National Outdoor Leadership School), moving into the Santa Cruz Mountains, climbing outdoors in many beautiful places, and hiking and backpacking all over – were all in pursuit of this connection. It was this passion for the natural world that led me to start with planting a vineyard.

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Learning the art of winemaking has been one of the more fulfilling adventures I have undertaken in this life. And my exploration of the use of whole clusters in fermentations has been one of the more compelling parts of this grand adventure. I was originally coached in the use of 100% whole berry fermentations (destemmed, but with intact berries), and so my adventure humbly began there

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