Winemaker ventures from vineyards into the wilds

In 2004, I did something that surprised a few people. After 30 years as a hands-on winemaker, and 17 years as the winemaker for my own winery, MacRostie Winery and Vineyards, I took a step back from day-to-day winemaking responsibilities, and took a step into the wilds of the Sonoma Coast.
It was a natural decision, and one I was quite comfortable with. The truth is, the seeds for the decision had been quite literally planted six years before, when I began cultivating my own Wildcat Mountain Vineyard on the borderlands of Carneros and the Sonoma Coast. Though planting Wildcat was a huge and at times humbling undertaking, with many unforeseen challenges, it was also a profoundly satisfying experience. After decades of making wine from other people’s grapes, growing my own fruit was like closing a circle. It gave me complete control over every facet of quality. It was also an adventure, allowing me to rekindle that pioneering spirit of building something out of nothing.
I recently heard someone in the industry remark, “Twenty years ago you couldn’t get a winemaker in the vineyard, and now you can’t get them out of the vineyard.” This echoes another statement that has become such a truism that it is almost a cliché – “great wines are made in the vineyard.”
The last 20 years has seen huge advances in both the science and the practical techniques used to grow premium wine grapes. As knowledge has increased, vintners have in turn grown closer to their growers. In most instances, occasional territorial friction and resistance between growers and winemakers over who calls the shots has given way to a sense of partnership. As the reputations of vineyards and wineries become deeply intertwined, it only makes sense that more and more winemakers and vintners are putting on their farmer hats. I sure did.
As Wildcat Mountain Vineyard evolved and matured, so did my connection to it. The soil gets underneath your fingernails and stays there ­– both literally and figuratively. At the same time, you get a feeling for the grand scope of great vineyards, along with the knowledge that their evolution and refinement is work that spans decades, if not generations.
All of this brings me back to the decision I made to step back from my role as the winemaker for MacRostie. Part of being a good businessperson is knowing where to focus, and when to delegate – and in 2004 it became obvious that in addition to being MacRostie’s CFO and general manager, I needed to focus my energies on the development of Wildcat, and working with our great partner growers. Ultimately, the best thing for our small winery, and our portfolio of wines, was to hand off winemaking responsibilities to someone who shared my vision.
I was fortunate to find Kevin Holt, who has been our full-time winemaker for four years now. Not only is Kevin a gifted winemaker, but he possesses my obsession for making chardonnay and pinot noir, and my love for Carneros and Sonoma Coast fruit. By working alongside one another at harvest and during blending, I believe our wines have only gotten better and better. At the same time, the fact that Kevin oversees the daily minutiae of running our winemaking operations frees me to grapple with the thousand little details that define excellence in the vineyard.
Do I sometimes miss being a full-time winemaker? Occasionally. This said, as I watch the Pacific fog receding from the slopes of Wildcat Mountain Vineyard, and the sun hitting its volcanic soils and windswept vines, it’s an occasional regret I can live with.

Steve MacRostie is a winemaker and the founder of MacRostie Winery and Vineyards.