I have to pinch myself almost daily as I am truly living my dream… the dream of being a Winemaker in California. Growing up in Dallas, Winemaker wasn’t exactly the most obvious career path that springs to mind, but at the age of 24 and after working as a waiter in several of the cities finest restaurants, acquiring a love for all things wine, getting the go-ahead from my bride to be, and selling everything that we owned, we were off to California where yes, I had the lofty aspiration of becoming a Winemaker. Completely self taught thru diligent self study and the utilization of winemaking mentors, I knew that true learning when it comes to such a stylistically artistic, yet mind blowingly organic and mystifying thing such as winemaking can ONLY be accomplished through MAKING WINE. There is absolutely no substitute. I honed my craft in the garage of an elderly vineyard owner in Napa. He grew the grapes, I made the wine, and we split the product on bottling day. In 2004 at the age of 26, I officially started my professional career by launching Modus Operandi Cellars with 200 cases of Napa Cabernet. I am so thankful to God that at such a young age I found my passion and am fortunate enough to be able to enjoy it as a career. I believe that winemaking is an art form that is supported by science, however a solid conceptual understanding of the science is also necessary.