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Zaca University
Winemakers Reminisce About Their
Days at Zaca Mesa Winery
Interviewed by Shannon Essa
P h o t o g r ap h y b y e r i n f e i nbla t t
O
ne of the early pioneers in the Santa Barbara
County wine industry was Zaca Mesa Winery.
In 1973 Marshall Ream planted a vineyard on a
plateau near the headwaters of Zaca Creek. It wasn’t long
before he recognized the value of making wine from their
grape harvest, and he brought in a young recent enology
school graduate named Ken Brown as the first winemaker.
Over the course of 40 vintages, a slew of winemakers,
assistant winemakers, enologists, lab techs, cellar rats,
vineyard managers and vineyard workers have made valuable
contributions to Zaca Mesa. In turn, the winery has offered
them a place to learn, innovate and hone their craft—
becoming a launching pad for many illustrious winemaking
careers.
We brought together many of the talented individuals that
have been a part of what they fondly refer to as “Zaca U” for
the opportunity to clink glasses and hear about the winery’s
early days… in their own words.
Opposite: Zaca Mesa reunion hosted by Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist
at Bien Nacido Vineyards. Above: vintage Zaca Mesa wines as early as 1977.
EdibleSantaBarbara.com SPRING 2013 | 37
Ruben Camacho, 1977– present; and Ken Brown, 1977–1985.
“It took some courage to stake out an
investment in the future of an almost
unknown region at that time, but they
did it and time has proven them to be
prescient.” — Daniel Gehrs
Ken Brown (1977–1985, winemaker): When I was at Fresno
State as a graduate student I was co-director of the school winery,
which meant that I also headed up all the research projects that
Fresno State winery was pursuing. Historically, the first vineyard
[planted in Santa Barbara County] was the Uriel Nielson
vineyard, planted in 1964 in the Santa Maria Valley. The second
generation of vineyards were planted by Firestone, a gentleman
named Dean Brown and then Zaca Mesa—whose vineyards
were planted in 1973. My research job for Fresno State was to
work with the first crop of these new vineyards to see if there was
commercial potential for Santa Barbara County wines. Marshall
Ream, the owner of Zaca Mesa, was so impressed with those early
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wines that he offered me the position to both design his winery
and to be his winemaker.
Ruben Camacho (1977– present, vineyard worker, vineyard
manager): I came to Zaca Mesa looking for work in 1977 and
they gave me a job driving a tractor. I didn’t know anything about
grapes. Cayo Palomo was the vineyard manager and he taught me
how to prune the vines, about all the diseases of the vines.
Daniel Gehrs (1993 –1997, winemaker): It took some courage
to stake out an investment in the future of an almost unknown
region at that time, but they did it and time has proven them to
be prescient.
Ken Brown: We built the winery in 1978 and the first harvest of
estate Zaca Mesa wines was 1978 at the new winery. We needed
to hire a staff, so I asked Fred Brander, the winemaker at Santa
Ynez Winery, if he knew anyone I could hire to help me with the
bottling, and he told me to call Jim Clendenen. Jim was the first
person I hired when we started making the wines at Zaca Mesa.
He was my assistant winemaker.
Jim Clendenen (1978 –1980, assistant winemaker): It was my
first winemaking job. I got called in with Ken and a couple of
Bob Lindquist, 1979–1983; Adam Tolmach, 1979–1980; Jim Clendenen, 1977–1980; and Jim Adelman, 1982.
other people in the company and they told me I was so good at
what I did that even though I hadn’t done anything yet—I had
just run the bottling line—they wanted to make me assistant
winemaker. And they wanted to put me on salary. I had no idea
what that meant. I was going to be working between 60 and
100 hours a week, making wine. But on salary, not hourly, I got
a dollar an hour! When I used to make $3.75 an hour working
on the bottling line. I was so passionate that I didn’t care. I really
wanted to work, and I worked.
Adam Tolmach (1979 –1980, lab tech and cellar worker): I was
hired in January of 1979 and left after the end of the harvest
1980. I was the third employee under Ken Brown, and I was
hired as a winery worker and lab person. I did what I was told to
do and tried to learn as much as possible. Ken was a patient and
kind teacher.
Chuck Carlson (1981–1992, lab tech, winemaker): Many of
those who have passed through Zaca Mesa have gone on to be
very progressive winemakers.
Ken Brown: When hiring people I didn’t really care about
resumes. What I cared about was if they were totally excited
about wine and about the possibility of being in the wine
business. We hired Bob Lindquist as soon as we started releasing
wines. He managed the tastings in a makeshift tasting room in
the barrel room and helped us in production when he wasn’t
doing tastings.
Bob Lindquist (1979–1983, cellar worker, tasting room):
At the very beginning, there was no tasting room. There was a
board on top of a couple of barrels down in the cellar, and you’d
write out a handwritten invoice. I was doing a little bit
of everything—cellar rat, tour guide, sales…
Adam Tolmach: We had many wine tasting parties that Jim and
Bob organized—they were lots of fun, and educational.
Ken Brown: At that time you had a difficult time becoming
established and being considered a successful brand if you could
not make a good Cabernet Sauvignon in California. We worked
and worked to try to figure out— from the grape-growing
perspective to winemaking—how to make a better Cabernet.
Quite honestly, we never achieved the goal but, fortunately for
me, the Chardonnays and Pinots turned out to be magnificent
and that is always what I was interested in.
(Continued on next page)
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Mike Brown, 1982
Chuck Carlson, 1981–1992
Gale Sysock, 1986 –1992
Daniel Gehrs, 1993–1997
Jim Clendenen: We were really trying to make the best wines
that you could make in California. Our interest was in pushing
the limits of winemaking. Learning what to do, open-top
fermenting… anything we read about, we were excited about. At
Zaca Mesa in 1979 we all experimented with wine. Bob made
a Cabernet, Adam made a Cabernet, I made a Pinot Noir, and
those wines were… kind of remarkable wines. They were wines
that were predating what California wines would become.
Jim Clendenen: I gotta say that I couldn’t imagine a more fun
place to be in 1978, I couldn’t imagine a more fulfilling place to
be in 1979—showing how fast you can grow things. We made
great wine and got nationally known for making great wine.
sugar, a lot of new oak, it was
kind of a funny wine. But it launched Zaca Mesa.
Mike Brown (1982, cellar
worker): Zaca Mesa was the first big winery I worked at. I had
worked at bigger wineries in Australia, but more of a singleposition type of thing. At Zaca Mesa you were there from start
to finish, you were there at crushing, you were there in the barrel
room, you were there on the bottling line. You pretty much got
to do it all from the beginning of the process to the end.
Jim Adelman: When I was 17 I worked for Bob Lindquist at a
tasting room in Camarillo. That was my introduction to wine,
then I kind of goofed around in a couple of wine stores, and
I was at that point where I had to choose a college major, so I
went to work at Zaca Mesa for a year to make sure that is what
Ken Brown: Three out of four wines from our first release (the
I wanted to do. And at that time I lived with Jim Clendenen so
1978 vintage) received awards—double gold, best of show, two
I also learned a lot about
golds and silver. For a brandwinemaking from Jim at
new winery that had never
home.
made wines before, we got a
“I gotta say that I couldn’t imagine a
lot of instant notoriety.
Lane Tanner (1981–1983,
more fun place to be in 1978, I couldn’t
enologist): In 1980 I started
Jim Clendenen: What we
imagine a more fulfilling place to be in
working for Firestone. I then
were most known for was
met Ken Brown—he was the
1979—
showing
how
fast
you
can
grow
Chardonnay. The 1978
winemaker at Zaca Mesa at
Chardonnay won the top gold
things. We made great wine and got
that point—and he convinced
medal at the L.A. County Fair,
nationally
known
for
making
great
wine.”
me if I came to Zaca Mesa to
and the top gold medal at the
be his enologist I would have a
Orange County Fair. Turned
— Jim Clendenen
lot of fun. So I did.
out that wine had residual
Jim Adelman (1982, cellar worker): Then they made Zinfandel,
which was really unusual.
Bob Lindquist: There were some really good Zinfandels.
Jim Clendenen: The 1978 was a rockin’ one. It was the single
wine of the tasting experience when you came to taste at Bob’s
table. French oak aged Zinfandel.
Bob Lindquist: We made a Sauvignon Blanc in ’79 that was as
good as anybody’s in California.
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Lane Tanner: At the time, it was just our life—we didn’t think
of ourselves as pioneers.
Jim Adelman: I drove the forklift. I sulfured a lot of barrels with
those sulfur wicks. I was a cellar guy.
Benjamin Silver, 1994–2000
Agustin Robles, 1983–present
Gale Sysock (1986–1992, winemaker): Zaca Mesa attracted
talented and passionate winemakers with a pioneering spirit and
a willingness to express themselves both in the wines and vocally.
Ken Brown: I planted the first Syrah in Santa Barbara County
at Zaca Mesa. I brought the cuttings from Gary Eberle’s Estrella
River vineyard in 1978 and made the first wine in 1983. The
Syrah was very impressive from the first vintage and we knew we
were on to something very good.
Chuck Carlson (1981–1992, associate winemaker): In 1988
we made the decision to change towards a Rhône focus. We
planted and grafted much of the vineyard to the mixture of
Rhône varietals that they have now. We also kept Chardonnay
in the vineyard as that was a variety that was still doing well in
the marketplace. They had already had some Syrah planted and
it proved to be a very good variety for the region. We took this a
bit further and really expanded this—pioneering efforts.
Gale Sysock: I trimmed down the focus on wines to make
varietals that worked well for the area and pushed to have our
home vineyards develop more Rhône varieties. Then I passed the
torch on to the next team to see it evolve further along.
Daniel Gehrs: When I got to Zaca Mesa the big varietal there
was Chardonnay. While the Chardonnays I made for Zaca Mesa
were commercially successful, where we really made our mark
was Syrah, which was a big surprise.
Ruben Camacho: A long time ago we picked grapes by machine.
Dan Gehrs decided he did not want to harvest with a machine.
He said a machine picks up everything—all the green stuff, all
the leaves, lizards, worms… When Dan came, Zaca Mesa sold
the machine. Now it takes 35 people, every day, for the harvest.
Daniel Gehrs: During my first vintage the Mare Fire started
not too far from the winery. It burned tens of thousands of acres
in the fall of ’93. All the firefighting traffic made it difficult at
Clay Brock, 2001–2008
Eric Mohseni, 2001–present
times to get our picking crews into the field to harvest the crop.
One of the blocks of Syrah got over-ripe due to these delays.
After blending it into our Zaca Vineyards Syrah the wine was
just magic! I’ve always thought maybe the fire had something to
do with the quality and success of that wine—the 1993 Zaca
Vineyards Syrah was named Wine Spectator’s #6 wine of the year
in 1995 and really stirred up a lot of interest and excitement in
Santa Barbara County for this varietal.
Clay Brock (2001–2008, winemaker): Dan’s Syrah coming in
#6 in the Wine Spectator brought recognition to the entire
Central Coast.
Daniel Gehrs: I urged management to reposition the brand
away from Chardonnay, which made only a standard-quality
wine at that location, and to concentrate more on Rhône
varietals, Syrah especially.
Benjamin Silver (1994–2000, associate winemaker): When I
was at Zaca Mesa, Dan Gehrs taught me how to construct a
wine from the palate. He was the person who taught me how to
make wine.
Clay Brock: I wanted to get rid of Chardonnay and be solely
Rhône-focused. And I learned a lot about the viticulture side of
the business.
Eric Mohseni (2001–present, enologist, winemaker): Instead
of graduate school, I felt it was very important to get into the
industry and start learning winemaking. Clay Brock called me
and told me he’d started working as winemaker at Zaca Mesa
and asked if I would come on board to revamp the lab. That was
January 2001, and I have been at Zaca Mesa ever since.
Scott Osborn (1982–1983, cellar master): I loved working at
Zaca Mesa. It was one of the more peaceful places to work,
and people like Lane and Chuck Carlson and Angel Vasquez
and Ken Brown—they were all wonderful people to work with.
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Agustin Robles
Eric Mohseni
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Benjamin Silver
Ruben Camacho
Mike Brown
Ken Brown
Bob Lindquist
Gale Sysock
Jim Adelman
Chuck Carlson
Adam Tolmach
Jim Clendenen
Clay Brock
Daniel Gehrs
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Scott Osborn: Zaca Mesa taught me the fundamentals. It gave
me the background, and the courage to go off and do what I
did—making wine in the Finger Lakes.
Chuck Carlson: My years at Zaca Mesa gave me perspective on
what grows well in this region. Since then, I have kept true to
the Rhône varietals as my main interest.
Daniel Gehrs: Working at Zaca Mesa made me more confident
in the range of my winemaking abilities and to be able to
influence management in favor of new styles and new directions.
When I left, the winery was riding high and there was a palpable
sense of optimism going forward with new products and new,
exciting styles. I think that spirit is still alive today.
Agustin Robles (1981–present, vineyard worker, cellar worker,
cellarmaster): We work like a family. I love the wine and I enjoy
my job. I’ve learned a lot from all the winemakers. Each has
made very different wines.
Lane Tanner: Being around Ken Brown really taught me how to
trust my own instincts. He trusted my instincts on tasting, and
that gave me more confidence. That would never have happened
if I had not been at Zaca Mesa—it started me off to where I am
today.
Ken Brown: Zaca Mesa, for me, was so important. It was where
I became established. And to have worked with such a great crew
of people—it was a very, very special time. We were all together
in the same project, feeling we could do something very special
and when it then turned out to be very special it was sort of like,
“Wow! We did it!”
Eric Mohseni: It is nice to be a part of something that has
roots and foundations. I have a lot of pride when I go to events
when there is recognition of the people that came from here.
Sometimes, during harvest, we are out early picking, so I go
to one of the blocks I like and sit there and watch the sunrise.
Sometimes you get a little desensitized, because you come here
all the time, and at these moments you realize this is a pretty
cool place, and it’s been here for a while and it will continue to
be around.
The Players…Where They Are Now
Ken Brown
Owner and Winemaker, Ken Brown Wines
Ruben Camacho
Vineyard Manager, Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards
Jim Clendenen
Owner and Winemaker, Au Bon Climat
Bob Lindquist
Owner and Winemaker, Qupé Wines
Adam Tolmach
Owner and Winemaker, The Ojai Vineyard
Agustin Robles
Cellarmaster, Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards
Lane Tanner
Winemaker, Sierra Madre Vineyard
Chuck Carlson
Owner and Winemaker, Carlson Wines
& Winemaker, Curtis Winery
Scott Osborn
Owner, Fox Run Vineyards
Jim Adelman
General Manager, Au Bon Climat & Qupé Wines
Mike Brown
Shannon Essa is a California native whose beverage of choice is Santa
Barbara Pinot Noir. She is the author of restaurant guidebook Chow
Venice! and splits her time between Santa Barbara and Europe, writing
and leading wine-, beer- and food-based tours in Spain and Italy for
Grapehops Tours.
Owner and Winemaker, Kalyra Wines
Gale Sysock
Vice President, Custom Resource Group,
Delicato Family Vineyards
Daniel Gehrs
Zaca Mesa Winery Celebrates
their 40th Anniversary
Owner and Winemaker, Daniel Gehrs Wines
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Clay Brock
Enjoy the history of Zaca Mesa, wine education, barrel
samples, new release wines, food, live music and winery tours.
Held 11am– 4pm at Zaca Mesa Winery located at 6905 Foxen
Canyon Rd, Los Oilvos. 805 688-9339; ZacaMesa.com
Eric Mohseni
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Benjamin Silver
Owner and Winemaker, Silver Wines
General Manager and Director of Winemaking,
Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards
Winemaker, Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards