Our Wineries
Meet the winemakers
El Dorado vintners may be at California's highest winegrowing elevations, but are they are a decidedly down-to-earth bunch. There’s a streak of experimentation that runs through their winemaking, and a sense of adventure in their souls. After all — why make great wine if you can’t have some fun along with it?
Hank Battjes, winemaker/owner of Gold Hill Vineyard, spent nearly 30 years as an electrical engineer who dreamed of turning his winemaking hobby into a second career. For 10 years, he commuted from his home in Palo Alto to Coloma, working to establish vineyards on an 80-acre parcel he’d purchased to fulfill that vision. The winery dream came true, and Hank retired from his first career and moved to Coloma in 1989.
Justin Boeger of Boeger Winery in Placerville is a second generation, award-winning winemaker who literally grew up in the vineyards. His dad, Greg, established El Dorado County’s first winery following Prohibition. Greg teams up with Justin as the vineyard master. Justin couples his winemaking with adventure — he pilots a plane, gets around on a motorcycle and plays guitar in a band.
Carrie Bendick, winemaker at Holly’s Hill Vineyards in Pleasant Valley, was attracted to the hands-on aspect of winemaking, and now finds herself working in both the vineyards and cellar of her family’s small winery, where the first grape crop was harvested in 2000. Carrie shares winemaking duties with husband Josh Bendick. They have two young daughters, making Holly’s Hill a multi-generational affair.
Paul Bush, along with wife Maggie, represents the second generation at one of the region's oldest wineries, Madroña Vineyards. As a kid in 1973, he helped plant many of the vines in the original 35 acres of his family’s vineyards. Today, these estate vineyards are in their prime, and you’ll still find Paul in their seemingly endless rows, farming some of the highest elevation vineyards in the El Dorado AVA.
Lance Campbell, winemaker and owner of Mount Aukum Winery in Fair Play, hails from Texas. After college, he pulled up stakes and moved West, where he discovered California wine. Lance was polishing his expertise at a Sonoma County winery in 2001 when he found 80 acres for sale on a spectacular 2,615-foot high mountaintop in El Dorado that were perfect for vineyards and a tasting room. He produced his first vintage of El Dorado Zinfandel and Syrah in 2002. Lance’s wife, Brandie, manages the tasting room.
Brian Fitzpatrick founded the oldest winery in the town of Fair Play: Fitzpatrick Winery and Lodge. Since 1980, he’s been making wine from organically grown grapes and practicing sustainable farming throughout his vineyards, using solar power and bio-diesel fuel. A proud Irishman, Brian is a former grape-stomping champ who claims that it’s his small feet that give him the decisive edge. Lucille Ball, eat your heart out.
John MacCready, winemaker and owner of Sierra Vista Winery, is considered the "founding father" of the Rhone movement in El Dorado. A former college professor with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, he's been making Rhones at his Pleasant Valley winery since 1977. Recognizing the area’s similarity to the Rhone region of France, John was one of the first to create El Dorado’s versions of these varietals, and has since witnessed their growing popularity among California wine consumers and winemakers alike. John was the founding president of the Rhone Rangers.
Ruggiero Mastraserio oversees winemaking duties at two Latcham family wineries: Granite Springs and Latcham Vineyards. Ruggiero prides himself on being an artist both in the cellar and onstage; he plays a mean saxophone in a lively band. A true Italian winemaker, he sometimes sends lab samples back and forth to his mentors in Milan.
Scott Miller owner/winemaker at Single Leaf Vineyards and Winery, was a field biologist who discovered his love for wine by pouring an $800 income tax return into vintages from the great districts of France, Germany and Italy. “I also bought a few bottles from California — but only Zinfandels, as my money was running low,” he says. That cemented his relationship with Zins, and he took “the plunge” in 1988 by moving from Nevada with wife Pam and their three children, and beginning his grape growing career on land they’d purchased in El Dorado.
John Smith, winemaker/owner of Oakstone Winery, has a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry and spent his first career developing scientific and medical instruments. He began home winemaking in 1972 — a year when winemaking kits were popular Christmas gifts. He claims that after a few notable failures, his winemaking hobby evolved into a passion, and then finally, a consuming obsession. These days you’ll find John in his vineyards nurturing obscure grape varieties like Alicante Bouschet and Dolcetto.
Mari Wells, winemaker and general manager of David Girard Vineyards in Coloma, exemplifies the art of multi-tasking, given her responsibilities around the winery and as a volunteer in the Coloma community. She’s also a river guide who loves the thrill of negotiating the whitewaters of the American River. Mari has practiced her winemaking craft throughout Northern California and New Zealand.