Phillipe Melka. He has been our North Star at Davis Estates and to me is the model of a great winemaker. His humbleness coupled with an amazing ability to make great wines is truly impressive.

The first harvest I worked in the cellar was in 2019. It was a bit of drinking from the fire hose. I came from a different industry so it was an exciting challenge to try and soak up as much knowledge as quickly as possible. That coupled with the high standard we set in the cellar made it one of my favorite all-time experiences.

I think my first harvest was my best memory to date. The long days and working together as a team for this common goal was a lot of fun. It allowed me to make great lasting friendships and appreciate what it takes to make a great bottle of wine.

I think it speaks towards two sides of our industry. First and foremost, cultivating excellence in production and vineyard management. Without great wines, the winery is a house of cards with very little foundational structure. By making great wines, we can have a firm backbone. Cultivating excellence on the hospitality side of things indicates to me going the extra mile in every way; making sure that each aspect of our customer's experience either meets or exceeds expectations.

I credit the wine business for helping bring us all closer together as a family. Being part of this family business has allowed my personal family relationships to really grow and for that, I am forever grateful.

I feel like this is somewhat of a typical answer, but I would say a nice steak with a mountain fruit cabernet.

Less is more. I think it's important to manage the vineyard for great fruit. From there, I think we are the stewards of the land. Our job is to help express that growing season in the bottle with as little intrusion as possible.

I was lucky enough to join Davis Estates as a family venture. Although I was a late addition, it has been an amazing and fulfilling experience to try and contribute to our wonderful team on a daily basis.

My grandmother, because she never saw this project come to be during her time on earth. I think she would appreciate what has been built. The other two would be my two children. We've named wines after them and I'm looking forward to sharing their wines with them once they are of age.

I think making a comparison to cherry candy. Any description that involves specific products or items that have nothing to do with wine is always interesting to me.

Today, I have no idea what I would be doing if I weren't a vintner. In the past, I used to race cars professionally as well as coach amateur racers. I probably would still be in that industry in some capacity.