While many wineries tout a single winemaker, at Hawk and Horse Vineyards we see things a little differently. It may be almost a cliché, but we genuinely believe that wine is made in the vineyard. We have made decisions from the early days – from planning and planting the vineyard to selecting the finest French oak barrels to complement each vintage – which influences the quality of the wine in your glass.  Decisions are made throughout the year – during the growing season, at harvest, crush, as well as the nuances of barrel aging and blending (or as is often the case…shall we blend?) All of these decisions are fluid, meaning that they demand our careful attention and evaluation all through the year.

In this industry, there are many, many people who have been at this much longer than we have and we feel very fortunate to have access to some of the greatest minds in the world of wine.  We are thankful to all those who consult with us on a regular basis to make our wine an outstanding expression of each vintage.  They range from winemakers to growers and scientists.  The one person, however, who has the most influence on our winemaking and vineyard management decisions, would be our dear friend and mentor, Consulting Winemaker, Dr. Richard Peterson.

Richard Peterson – Consulting Winemaker

Dr. Peterson began his career as a home winemaker in 1948 in Iowa. He received his B.S. degree in Chemical Technology from Iowa State University in 1952, M.S. in Food Technology (1956) from the University of California, Berkeley, and Ph.D. in Agricultural Chemistry from the University of California.

Dr. Peterson’s pioneering winemaking and development career began with E & J Gallo Winery in 1956 and has gone on to influence some of California’s best known and loved wine brands, including Beaulieu Vineyard, The Monterey Vineyard, Screaming Eagle, and Atlas Peak. At Atlas Peak, Dr. Peterson developed 450 acres of vineyard from the virgin, volcanic soil—just one of the reasons that he is so knowledgeable about the high elevations and volcanic soil composites at Hawk and Horse Vineyards. In 1995, Dr. Peterson led a group of investors in purchasing the Folie a Deux Winery in St Helena and remained Chairman there until the winery was sold in 2004. He is now sole proprietor of Richard Grant Wines in Napa, California.

For expanded biographical information on Dr. Peterson, please visit the following link: www.richardgrantwine.com/richardpeterson.html