Brandon Armitage is one of the premiere winemakers in Santa Cruz Mountains. Brandon is a passionate student of the art of wine, who has followed the Pinot Noir trial around the world. He’s refined his technique and skills in New Zealand’s Central Otago and Oregon’s Willamette Valley. He started Armitage Wines in 2008 and since 2013 has overseen production at the Heart O’ The Mountain Estate in Scotts Valley.
John Benedetti is an award-winning winemaker in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Having taught himself how to brew beer and a brief stint in the tech world, John detoured into winemaking and has excelled ever since. Sante Arcangeli Family Wines is known for their outstanding, delicate, layered and nuanced Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Rob Bergstrom, a former scientist, management consultant, technology executive, is now a fantastic winemaker. Rob spent time working harvests at Rhys, Mount Eden and Varner before launching Sandar & Hem, which is named in honor of his family’s Norwegian ancestry, with wife Recha. At Sandar & Hem, Rob strives to tell the story of the Santa Cruz Mountains and its unique vineyard sites through transparently made wines, and in particular showcase Chardonnay which he believes captures the essence of the terroirs and through its many expressions paints a picture that helps us to interpret such a rugged, complex, and endlessly beautiful place. Sandar & Hem’s library of wines is not to be missed.
Anthony Craig was born in Gateshead, a North Eastern English town on the River Tyne opposite the city of Newcastle and close to the Scottish border. At the end of 1990, Anthony found work with a small local winery called David Bruce. IIt was here he fell in love with fine wine; Pinot Noir in particular. In 2002 he set out on his own to create Sonnet as a homage to his old life as an actor and the great playwright, William Shakespeare. Today, Sonnet Wine Cellars produces award-winning wines from several vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands and the Santa Cruz Mountains: Tondre’s Grapefield, Muns Vineyard, Black Ridge Vineyard and Gali Vineyard.
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