Some of John ’s earliest memories are of time spent in his grandfather’s garden. He farmed avocados as a child with his father in San Diego. Moving to Sonoma County in 1983, he lived in the west county and commuted to San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley during a 20-year career as a firefighter/paramedic. Wanting to farm again, he sought out an optimal landsite and in 1999 began planting a 2-acre Pinot Noir vineyard. His viticulture and winemaking skills were honed by a combination of Community College and University classes, commercial winery experience, and a large dose of trial and error. His usual flair for deviating from the norm led to the evolution of an organic, dry-farmed vineyard producing grapes and wine of complexity and high quality. He has since retired from the paramedic life to cultivate great wine.