about the two guys:

Despite a 18 year career in the wine industry Mike didn’t plan on this career path. While attending UC Davis an unfortunate run in with Calculus caused a pivot from pre-med to Fermentation Science. This course of study included beer and wine making but the lure of wine was too strong.

Mike started his career in the lab at one of the last remaining grower owned winery cooperatives in the US at what was then Eastside Winery/ Oak Ridge. While his day to day focus was the wholesale, mass production of wine he put in charge of a small barrel fermented Chardonnay experiment. While mostly an interesting aside to the main operation it did get some local recognition from other winemakers and led to an opportunity to move on to another aspect of the wine industry; custom crush. Custom crush facilities basically craft wines for other wineries that lack the necessary equipment or space. Often this means a mix of projects from large wineries needing gallons of wine to small, start ups just getting into the wine industry. This also means a lot of juggling of resources to manage these projects.

While exciting and challenging, this wasn't enough to keep Mike in Lodi. When a position opened up at the historic Smith & Hook Winery in Soledad, CA he was off to a new adventure. Having previously meddled with Central Coast grapes it was now time to dive head first into premium, cool climate, estate grown grapes. It was also at this time that Mike and Jason would first meet and realize that they shared a common vision of winemaking. But more on that later. During his time at Smith & Hook there was a renaissance of the Smith & Hook, and Hahn Family of wines. During this time the company experienced a complete style change, revamping of winery operations, multiple capital improvements, as well as the launch of what would become the largest Hahn family brand ever: Rex Goliath.

Despite all of these successes, Mike yearned to be “the man”. So when the opportunity came for a winemaker position back in Lodi came up, he jumped. At 17,000 cases the scale was quite a jump back and more hands on than previous positions but allowed ultimate control over wine styles. During his time with Jewel Collection wines the brand would grow from 17,000 cases in annual sales to 125,000 in 4 short years. It was here that Jason and Mike were able collaborate for the first time. Their work together would earn them countless medals throughout the US and in 2003 Mike had the distinction as being honored as one of the top Hottest Small Brands according Wine Business Monthly.

After such a meteoric, and tumultuous, ride Mike moved on to a more steady, historic brand: Fetzer. While originally brought on as a temporary Assistant Winemaker for the organic brand Bonterra, Mike transitioned to the historic Fetzer to shepherd the red wines. While being a corporate owned winery does have its advantages there were a new set of obstacles to navigate.Namely working within the winemaking team to modernize an aging facility, implement new technology and generally refresh the red wine styles. But the added support staff offered Mike the opportunity to test new ideas, conduct trials to hone in wine styles and generally test every assumption with a world class laboratory staff providing impeccable data.

On to Rutherford Ranch Winery where a career’s worth of knowledge would be called upon on a daily basis. While located in Napa, Rutherford Ranch had brands that ranged from iconic, estate Cabernets, to Central Coast premium brands all the way to California appellated affordable wines. With his background Mike was uniquely suited to manage this dizzying array of brands under very strict bottling capabilities, balanced with market needs. Working closely with the cellar crew and a small but talented lab team, Mike continued to hone his winemaking expertise while also improving existing brands and launching new ones simultaneously.

And now it is time for Mike and Jason to take their combined experience, talent and determination to the next level. We welcome you to follow, share and enjoy this adventure with us!

Jason Fernandez has a 25-year history in the wine industry, starting in 1998 on an Enology internship program while studying Biology at  UC Santa Cruz.  

The 1998 vintage was an exposure to high-volume production at the Delicato facility in Manteca, CA, with over 50,000 tons of California wine grapes rolling across the truck scales.  

Subsequent tenures in Monterey County were spent at Bonny Doon, Estancia, and Chalone Vineyard.  The focus was Pinot noir, Chardonnay, and the growing popularity of Rhône varietal wines of ultra-premium quality.  Monterey County is where Jason and Mike were first introduced, discussing, comparing and contrasting experiences and notes of our rapidly developing careers.  

A growing family relocated Jason to the Sacramento Valley, Sierra Foothills and Clarksburg regions.  RH Phillips and Jewel Collection Wines (reconnecting with MC, DoW) were stepping stones to launching the first urban winery in Downtown Sacramento since Prohibition, Revolution Wines in 2006.  While no longer connected to Revolution, it remains in operation today as a Cal-Ital themed restaurant.  

Jason was the Laboratory Manager and Bottling winemaker for O’Niell Vintners and Distillers from 2012-to 2014, the sixth largest producer in CA, producing 24M gallons per year.  OVD provides custom bulk wine and brandy products for some of the major shelf brands and exclusive custom labels for retailers across the country.  

In 2017, Jason’s start-up experience and sense of adventure took him to Nassau, New Providence.  In the employ of the Graycliff Cigar Company and Garzaroli family, Jason launched the first winery in the Bahamas. With connections back to the “old country”, bulk wines were imported from Italy, stored, blended and bottled for local markets as well as hosting daily “Winemaker for a Day” classes for cruise tourists for Disney and Royal Caribbean.  

In summation, Jason has experience in ultra-premium wine production, the minutia of esoteric start-up operations, and hospitality & customer service.  He holds a perpetual optimist philosophy in respect to bringing a beautiful wine experience to those who share the appreciation of a wine of distinction in its place on the nightly dinner table.