Meet the Winemaker

Before falling in love with wine, Theresa studied Biochemistry as an undergraduate student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and Chemistry & Enology as a graduate student at UC Davis. It was during this time that she traveled to Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhone Valley, where she found her true calling.

After returning to UC Davis from that life changing trip, she was in a grading session with other graduate student teaching assistants where they exchanged stories about their respective research projects. It was at that moment that she discovered exactly how science meets art, and quickly decided to switch into the Enology program to pursue winemaking.

She worked her first harvest at Saintsbury, and then landed a job as the Research Chemist at Joseph Phelps Vineyards, where she applied science to winemaking, and developed a streamlined method to measure phenolics during the winemaking process.

In 2005, she was promoted to Associate Winemaker, then in 2008 she became head Winemaker for Joseph Phelps’ Freestone Vineyards on the Sonoma Coast, where she made Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that were highly regarded by consumers and media alike.

In early 2012 she was named “Winemaker to Watch” by the San Francisco Chronicle. During her years working at Phelps, they sent her to Burgundy in 2006 to work a harvest at Domaine de Montille, where she truly honed in her skills as a Pinot Noir and Chardonnay purist and traditionalist.

She joined Gary Farrell Winery as Winemaker in 2012 and achieved critical acclaim for her wines, which are notable for their balance, textural richness, and site specificity. In 2021 she was promoted to Director of Winemaking, allowing her to oversee winemaking for 40+ vineyards from Sonoma County all the way down to Santa Barbara County.

At Gary Farrell Winery she developed strong relationships with a wide range of growers, including some of the most prominent vineyards in California, including Rochioli, Bacigalupi, Ritchie, Durell, Gap’s Crown and Hallberg, just to name a few.

She was twice nominated as Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast, and she has received numerous other accolades for her winemaking, including “Top 50 Sonoma Producer” from Wine Spectator, 2020 and 2019 “Top 100 Winery” from Wine & Spirits, Sonoma County Vintners’ Innovator of the Year Award in 2023, and the #1 wine in the Wine Enthusiast “Top 100 Wines of 2017.”