THE VINEYARD WINE SHOP - Key Persons
Chris was a chef in San Francisco for 15 years after attending Le Cordon Bleu in Scottsdale, Arizona. He's always been obsessed with wine, fueling that obsession further by taking the Court of Master Sommeliers' introductory course while still working in the back-of-house. After realizing that a career in wine didn't have to mean the crazy hours of a restaurant somm, Chris joined The Vineyard's team in January 2020. Of wine, he says, "Understanding wine means you have to understand history, chemistry, geography-so many different disciplines!-as well as understanding how food traditions develop in wine-centric cultures. It's a never-ending pursuit."
My father was stationed in France after the war and he fell in love with French wine. Growing up I was able to taste the great wines my dad served and I, too, fell for French wines! After graduating from the University of Denver I had a couple of different jobs but always wanted to be in the wine business somehow. When I asked Robbie Wilson (founder of The Vineyard in 1971) if he would hire me, he said I could be the stock boy, which allowed me to learn the ropes of the wine business. After a year, he offered to sell me the store and I, of course, said yes. That was 35 years ago. It has been great fun owning The Vineyard and I am thrilled to have such great, knowledgeable, friendly people around to share in the fun! I hope the store will be around for another 47 years!
Dave's first "Aha!" wine moment was blind-tasting the 1980 Carneros Creek Fay Vineyard Cabernet ("Yes," says Dave, "I'm that old."
Dave's first "Aha!" wine moment was blind-tasting the 1980 Carneros Creek Fay Vineyard Cabernet shortly after its release. ("Yes," says Dave, "I'm that old.") Since then he's enjoyed many Napa Cabs along with all the other usual suspects-Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo, Rioja. Lately, all the young wine lovers at The Vineyard have convinced him that white wines can be just as complex and delicious as reds. His major weakness is still Sauternes (all dessert wines, really), and of course there's still nothing that compares with a great Champagne.
Nathan's passion for wine developed as the natural consequence of a decade spent living, working, eating and drinking in New Orleans. After tiring of the hospitality industry's late nights and working a couple of years with a software startup, he decided in early 2013 to pursue his passion full-time and joined his friendly neighborhood fine wine shop, The Vineyard, as part of the sales team. As Buyer and GM, he has programmed the shop's inventory of unique, hard-to-find wines from small producers around the globe since 2016. He completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust's (WSET) Level 4 Diploma in Wine and Spirits in 2018 and is currently a stage two Master of Wine (MW) student, pursuing the wine world's most coveted and respected credential. His role curating The Vineyard's selection is a simple one, he says. "I'm always looking at quality-to-price ratio. Whether the bottle you've chosen costs $9 or $1900, the bottom line should always be value. I'm here to make sure you're getting more than you pay for, no matter what you pay." When he isn't tasting, tasting, tasting for work and study, he's usually running around the mountains somewhere with his wife and their two dog-beasts.