Kevin O'Connor

Kevin cut his teeth on the "Old World" white wines his parents use to put on the dinner table. They drank white Bordeaux and Alsatian Riesling, and in particular white Burgundies with revered village names like Chablis, Pouilly Fuisse and Rully.

Two generations earlier, Kevin’s Italian great-grandmother was making a Trebbiano d' Abruzzo "frizzante", a slightly sparkling wine which according to his grandmother, was a local favorite in her small, coastal Adriatic hometown of Giulianova. She had lost her husband at a young age, and made the wine simply because she needed to make ends meet and because making wine was what she knew how to do. Kevin, it would seem, was somewhat pre-destined to a career in wine.

After a series of high-profile sommelier positions, Kevin was hired as wine director at Spago-Beverly Hills in 2001. His experience as a sommelier and wine director inevitably drew him towards winemaking. In 2000, Kevin harvested four tons of Sauvignon Blanc grapes from Rancho Sisquoc in Santa Maria valley and under the tutelage of friendly wine-making veterans Seth Kunin (Kunin Wines) and Steve Clifton (Brewer-Clifton/Palmina) made his first cuvee of stainless- steel wine. The idea of making wine without the use of oak vessels was immediately intriguing to Kevin because it allowed the grape to express itself unmasked and unflavored. The non-reactive ability of stainless-steel seemed to suit this desire.

Kevin continued this project in 2001, but the following year turned his focus to Chardonnay, securing some fruit from the famed Alexander Valley estate Stuhlmuller Vineyards. Here began his relationship with the talented young cellar-master, Leo Hanson. For the past four years he and Leo have concentrated solely on the Chardonnay grape.

Kevin currently resides in Santa Monica California, with his significant other, Elena and their son, Henry.