About Rattlesnake Ridge Wines

Jerry Baldwin It is Jerry's vision to make (and drink) Zinfandel of distinction. He has been growing and producing Zinfandel since the 2001 vintage. He has a long history in sensual beverages. Jerry is also a coffeeman: as the principal owner of Peet's Coffee & Tea, he was involved in all aspects of coffee from seed to cup. He is well known in coffee for his meticulous attention to quality. Jerry has written on coffee for The Atlantic Magazine Food Channel . Jerry is also involved in Technoserve, a non-profit NGO working principally in Africa and Latin America to reduce poverty by training farmers and other entrepreneurs in business skills and quality improvement, the only sustainable competitive advantage.

Jane Baldwin Jane is engaged in all the esthetics of our efforts. She has a superb palate and sense of smell, and she initiated and managed our olive oil production at Dawn Hill Ranch. A photographer, Jane is deeply interested in indigenous cultures. Her current passion is a project among tribes living traditionally in Ethiopia. She is a founding director of PhotoAlliance, an organization supporting contemporary photography. Find her current work at janebaldwin.com

Phil Freese, Consulting Viticulturist

Phil has been involved with Rattlesnake Ridge from the inception of our replanting project, assisting in everything from soils and rootstock through multiple consultations in the vineyard throughout each year.

Following his doctorate from UC Davis, Phil spent 13 years as Robert Mondavi's Vice-President of Wine Growing. He designed the first Opus One vineyards, and initiated the remote sensing project with NASA that has spawned a new wave of tools for viticulture analysis and quality enhancement. Subsequently, he established his own Viticulture Practice, and in the last decade has consulted to some of California's best, including Seghesio, Cakebread, and Far Niente. He has extended his vineyard consulting work to South Africa's key wineries, including Warwick, Rustenberg, Thelema and De Wetshof.

Massimo Monticelli, Winemaker

Massimo is a 4th generation winemaker, who abandoned medicine after finishing his pre-med degree, to complete an advanced degree in enology at UC Davis. His resume includes a winemaking position at Silver Oak, and he also serves as winemaker to other small producers in Sonoma and Napa Valleys. Massimo and his brother Mario, who is winemaker at Trinchero Family Estates, also operate Monticelli Bros Winery.