Graham Tatomer founded his winery in 2008 sourcing fruit from two Riesling vineyards. With the intention of making bone-dry Riesling in California, he made a mere 400 cases in a small corner of a good friend’s boutique winery. Since his first release, Graham has slowly expanded production adding one more Riesling vineyard, as well as two Grüner Veltliner vineyards and two Pinot Noir vineyards.

At the age of 16, Graham Tatomer began working in the wine business. While at first it was for the simple paycheck, Graham soon found himself falling under the wine spell as his interest to learn quickly grew into a passion and after two decades, is now his life pursuit. Learning the tricks of the trade, Graham worked his way through vinifying Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Syrah, as well as numerous other varieties from some of the best vineyards throughout California’s Central Coast. It soon became clear to Graham that “the sites that excite me have been the coldest ones, lending to wines of lighter weight, nuanced flavors, and bracing acidity. Riesling is the ultimate grape to pursue these characteristics. No other grape conveys its region’s character and varietal flavor with the power, focus, and beauty the way Riesling does.” Focused on pursuing a love for cold climate thriving, high acidity packed grapes, Graham is fortunate enough to work with one of the oldest cold-climate Riesling sites still left in California.

Ready to completely immerse himself into the life of a riesling loving winemaker, in 2003, Graham packed his bags and moved to Austria. “I was able to find work with Weingut Knoll who, more importantly, have become a second family to me. They also turned me on to the Grüner Veltliner grape. ” While in Austria, Graham worked two harvests and while not planned, he stayed for over a year in the Wachau. “From hand sorting Trockenbeerenauslese at midnight; to building stone terraces in the snow using the methods of ancient Rome, I left with much more knowledge and experience than I came with and am eternally grateful.”