While working as a cellar hand, Jason fell in love with Sonoma Coast wines. But he knew that gaining access to this highly coveted fruit was difficult even for the most established winemakers. Undeterred, he set his sights on Riddle Vineyard. Located in that Green Valley “sweet spot” of legendary Goldridge soil—the provenance of many of the Valley’s top Pinot Noirs—Riddle Vineyard fruit was nothing short of a dream.

With hopes for an inroad, Jason drove out to Stoetz Lane. He found Jim Riddle’s farmhouse neighboring the vineyard and knocked on the door, armed with a homemade pâté, a bottle of Champagne, and an earnest plea. Over a good-humored lunch and a walk through the vines, Jason won Jim’s friendship along with the promise of two small blocks of fruit, which became our first bottling of Hibou.

That’s more or less how Jason has found our vineyards over the past eight years: exploring back roads and knocking on the doors of the growers he admires most, a persuasive picnic basket at the ready.