Chris Graves knew wine was his calling when he was 16 years old.
A native of the Sierra Foothills, the 28-year-old credits his parents for encouraging him to pursue vinification, or winemaking as it’s commonly called, because of his interest in the outdoors and science.
After completing a two-year viticulture and enology program at UC Davis, where he learned about everything from “wine sensory science” to “grapevine pests and diseases,” Graves landed an internship with Wente Vineyards, working under his mentor Karl Wente. It was there he moved into a regular position, and eventually to assistant winemaker. Two years ago, he became winemaker at Tamas Estates, another winery owned by Wente in Livermore. And this past summer, Graves became vintner of the new Ruby Hill Winery in Pleasanton.
While the name isn’t new–there’s a long history associated with it–the winery is.
Michael Callahan, owner of the Palm Event Center and Mitchell Katz Winery in Ruby Hill, purchased the property a few years ago. Located at the corner of Isabel and Vineyard avenues in Pleasanton’s southeast border with Livermore, Ruby Hill Winery opened to the public with a tasting on Feb. 9 and 10.
At 4,800 square feet, the tasting room is the largest in the Livermore Valley wine country, according to Michelle Pangrazio, director of marketing for the winery and the adjacent event center that will be opening in a matter of weeks.
Called Casa Real, the event center will complement the winery, and will host weddings, corporate retreats, fundraisers and galas. Alyssia Jones, event director for Casa Real, said 92 weddings are already booked and reservations are going well into 2009. The first wedding will be held April 18.
Pairing the winery and event center on one parcel will allow shared uses and cross promotion. For example, the wines that will be served at Casa Real will only bear the Ruby Hill label. And clients who are planning weddings at the event center plan to have cocktail hours next door in the tasting room, Pangrazio said. With Mitchell Katz and the Palm, which opened in 2004 farther west along Vineyard, event organizers hope to offer the new winery and event center as another booking option. It’s also a good fit with restaurant Campo di Bocce located across Isabel, where some wedding parties will have their rehearsal dinners.
The winery has had a good response so far, although construction on the event center still somewhat impedes the property, but finishing touches are expected to wrap up soon.
“Most people are surprised at how good our wine is and how little it costs,” said tasting room manager Debbie Cristiano.
Cristiano said all of the wines for tasting sell for under $20 except for one.
In addition to wine, the tasting room is also filled with wine-related merchandise such as olive oil (with the Ruby Hill Winery label and made by Olivina of Livermore), coffee, jam and home decor. Guests are also encouraged to have a picnic and stay a while. Deli meats, cheeses and baguettes are for sale in a refrigerator and guests can dine in the tasting room by a fireplace or in a courtyard outside at wrought-iron tables with firepits. It’s a smaller-scale version of V. Sattui Winery in Napa, which is often packed with picnickers during the harvest season.
To prepare for the winery’s opening last month, Graves said he sourced wines up and down the California coastline and began blending. Some vintage 2006 wines are currently fermenting in a wine cellar across the vineyard from the winery. He has prepared 5,000 cases and said he sees the winery growing to making double that.
For some it’s a hobby, but for Graves, it’s a full-time job that sometimes requires waking up at oddball hours to check on the process in the cellar. Good thing he’s only a few footsteps away, where he lives with his wife and children (CHECK) in a house on the property.
“It’s an intricate process,” he said. “Winemaking is a million decisions. The attention to detail is what makes a good winemaker.”
While last year’s harvest was crushed off-site, Graves said he plans to purchase crushing equipment soon and the harvesting will be done in Pleasanton this year.
The cellar stays a cool 58 degrees year-round. Right now, the air conditioning is off with the moderate temperatures, but come summer, it will be running constantly to keep the wine from spoiling. Inside the cellar is a laboratory where Graves takes different varieties of wines from merlots to cabernets to sirahs and makes his own blends. He’ll also check for quality control, checking the alcohol and sulfur levels.
Ruby Hill wine is sold only at the winery. Campo di Bocce began serving their wine last Monday and Graves said they are in talks with other local restaurants to begin serving.
The current offerings of wine are champagne, two kinds of chardonnay, a Central Coast cabernet, North Coast cabernet, Sangiovese and a port.
The benefit to Ruby Hill Winery is that it is a small operation, run by Graves and one other cellar worker. The wines are all bottled and labeled on site and everything is handmade.
“It’s very rewarding to be involved in the process and to have control over what goes on,” Graves said.
The logo for the winery is an ode to the former Ruby Hill Winery, which was established in 1887. Graves said he took the historic design and restored it with a few changes. It still bears the original tagline, “Gem of Wines.” The name Ruby Hill came from the fertile soil which was bright red in color and produced award-winning wines.
At the same time that the Wentes were building their winery business in Livermore, a man named John Crellin planted vines in Pleasanton. In the 1920s, Crellin sold the Ruby Hill Winery to Ernest Ferrario, who fashioned “Gem of Wines” on his labels. Prohibition stalled the winery for a time until it was repealed. A fire, believed to be the work of an arsonist, gutted the abandoned Ruby Hill Winery building in 1989. In 2002, Callahan, who was the developer of the Livermore Airport Business Park, purchased the property and two years later, Mitchell Katz Winery and the Palm Event Center were born.
Callahan said he’s excited about bringing back a name which bears so much historic significance and he believes the name, shared by the neighboring gated residential community and golf course, will have recognition.
The Ruby Hill Winery is located at 400 Vineyard Ave. For more information, visit www.rubyhillwinery.net.
