FAMILY
Growing up in central Illinois, the agricultural life came natural to me. My first job was detasselling corn for $5.25 per hour. My first heroes in life were my grandparents—Lester Ervin and Velma Ilene Whitlatch. Over the course of 70+ years of marriage, they managed to put 5 children through college by working on the farm they built growing corn and soybeans. Grandma never stopped moving from sunup to sundown. Grandpa loved tinkering in his workshop in the barn, and he could fix anything.
The study of living organisms also came naturally to me. My parents met in Biology class at Eastern Illinois University. While raising us 3 boys (and 50+ years of marriage now) Dad worked as a forensic scientist with the Illinois State Police, and Mom was our high school Biology teacher.So I decided to study Biology at the University of Illinois and become a Biotech Fermentation Scientist at Abbott Laboratories. It was during this time that I became interested in home winemaking. It was a hobby that took over my curiosity, and I found myself endlessly daydreaming. In 2009, after working 8 years in the biotech industry, I quit my job and drove to Napa, California, to learn winemaking.
GOING FOR IT
My first internship was with Margaux Singleton who ran a wine shop in Calistoga and made "To Kalon Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon--perhaps one of the most prestigious vineyards in the world. We also made St. Helena Zinfandel, an experience that comes in handy these days! As harvest finished up, I studied for the GRE, applied to the Master's Program for Viticulture & Enology at UC-Davis, and secured a second internship working in the Gimblett Gravels of New Zealand with Sileni Estates. While this part of NZ is known for red blends including Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah, it was during this time that I became fascinated with Pinot Noir. I took Pinot road trips to Martinborough, and all around the south island to taste in Marlborough, Nelson, Central Otago, and Canterbury. I finally understood the effect of terroir; my palate was finally good enough to discern the differences between these wines. It was then that the good news arrived: I was accepted into a very small graduate program class of 13 people. My Master's Thesis studied the effects of deficit irrigation on berry composition and wine sensory attributes of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Upon graduation, I was lucky to work the 2012 harvest at Opus One where I learned to focus on making ONE wine to its highest potential. Following harvest, I made a transition into viticulture with an opportunity to live the old adage that great wines are made in the vineyard.
During my stint as viticulturist for Atlas Vineyard Management, I was diagnosed with a rare myeloid sarcoma (leukemia tumor) that unfortunately required me to take a leave of absence. To this day, I am grateful for the challenge and the change of perspective—life is short, get to the point. Once the 8 months of chemotherapy had resolved my issue and I had recovered, I knew I had to more aggressively pursue the dream of making the best possible wine that I could.
I started as the Cellar Master for Mayacamas Vineyards in 2016, with limited forklifting skills and a healthy fear of messing something up in the cellar. The winemakers Braiden Albrecht and Andy Erickson took a chance on me, and I am forever grateful for all that I learned during those 5 years.
When the opportunity to be the head winemaker at Green & Red Vineyard came along in November of 2020, I had to make the quick and difficult decision to take on the new challenge. Taking up the reins at a legacy winery is a daunting task, and certainly something I am still growing into…
Making a diversity of estate wines including Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Rose, is immensely satisfying. However, I am lucky to be able to use the cellar for personal winemaking as well. I like to reminisce of my days at Opus One, and make this ONE wine to the best of my abilities—SYNTROPY Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.
