The beginning...

Brenda and Duane met in 1978, only a few miles from where they currently live. They married in 1983 and Marin was born in April of 1992. The 20-acre property was purchased in 1993 and we called it the Black Diamond Ranch. The driveway to the house is so steep, that if it ever snowed in Lockwood, the driveway would be a black diamond ski run.

In 1999, the Wolgamott's stumbled into the wine growing business. Syrah was becoming a popular varietal and a neighboring grower had extra vines to plant. Marin still remembers pulling out the many and large calcerous rocks when the vineyard site was being developed. The first crazy idea was planting a vineyard, and the second was to start our own winery. Our first harvest was in 2001. Then in 2002 we started our own label and brand - Marin's Vineyard.

Currently...

Marin graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2014 with a degree in Wine and Viticulture concentrating in Enology. She has worked for many prestigious wineries in the Central Coast area - Chamisal Vineyards, Clesi, Tooth and Nail Winery, and then in Oregon with Boedecker Cellars, then down to the Yarra Valley in Australia.  Sensory analysis and chemical analytics of wine has been her specialty. Besides her day job with Joel Gott Wines, she is currently the head winemaker for Marin's Vineyard and helping to lead the sales and marketing. Winemaking is her passion and that's evident when you hear her talk about wine.

Brenda is a General Manager for The Wine Group and oversees vineyards in Monterey County. She's been a viticulturist for over 20 years and is a well-respected professional in the grape growing industry. One of Brenda's favorite hobbies is to ride her horse, Stylish Contessa, and compete at cutting horse competitions.

Duane is the Chief Business Official for the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District. He has worked for several school districts in the area, primarily in the area of technology and budgets. You can find Duane some weekends working the tasting room and will tell you all about Marin.

Although we are small, we believe that we can make an impact. We strive to make hand-crafted wines that reflect our grass roots and ranching heritage.