Shadowbrook Winery
3739 Shadowbrook Court, Walnut Creek, CA 94598  •  925-988-WINE (9463)  •  Fax: 925-935-2772   •  Email
 
Tour Shadowbrook Winery
Join the Shadowbrook Wine Club
Shadowbrook Vineyards
The Crush at Shadowbrooks Winery
Wine Master Tim Jochner
Shadowbrook Winery's Winemaker, Mark Lavezolli
Shadowbrook Wines
Prices and Ordering of Shadowbrook Wines
Wine Tips for Shadowbrook Wines
From Our Table to Yours
C & K Olive Oil
News and Events at Shadowbrook Winery
Mount Diablo - The Wine Growing Region for Shadowbrook Winery
Map & Directions to Shadowbrook Winery
Join our Mailing List
Contact Shadowbrook Winery
Home Page of Shadowbrook Winery
 
Gazebo at Shadowbrook Winery

Our Consulting Winemaker

RICK TRACY grew up on a dairy farm in coastal Oregon. He switched from producing one healthy beverage to another when he was drawn to the mystique of wine country in the Napa Valley during the late 1970’s. Rick earned his Masters Degree from the Viticulture and Enology Department UC-Davis, and is as comfortable in the vineyard as in the winery. His winemaking career spans over 25 years crafting the A-Z of varietals in both super and ultra premium quality, all receiving both professional and consumer accolades.

Rick enjoys being on the cutting edge of winemaking while trusting the intuitive and sensory experience seen from his years of winemaking discovery. Making wine in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Oregon, and consulting adventures in China and Argentina have given Rick a rich and varied palette from which to draw. His experience as a judge at the Orange County Fair and his interest in wine technical groups have highlighted the diversity of California’s many unique terroirs.

Rick believes the lush fruit grown at the base of Mt Diablo is the nexus towards crafting a superior Contra Costa County wine.

“I am thrilled to be a part of Tim Jochner’s elegant vision. Shadowbrook reminds me of the family owned wineries in the Napa Valley in the 1970’s… boutique, all about quality, with family and friends pitching in just for the delight of it. Tim is doing a stellar job reintroducing this important historical appellation to the public. Shadowbrook wines are approachable, supple, unstuffy, and can stand up easily in quality to their Napa Valley counterparts.

RANDLE G. JOHNSON (2005)
Consulting Winemaker, Hess Collection Winery
Director of Winemaking, Bodega Colomé
Consulting Winemaker, Shadowbrook Winery

Randle JohnsonRandle Johnson, consulting winemaker, is directly involved with winery operations planning, wine making and final shadowbrook blends. Randle is directly involved with worldwide joint venture vineyards and brand development for The Hess Collection Winery and The Hess Collection New World Wines. worldwide joint venture vineyards and brand development for The Hess Collection Winery and The Hess Collection New World Wines. As winemaker for Artezin brand wines from California and director of winemaking for Bodega Colomé in Argentina, Randle gets to experience two crushes every year, keeping him a very busy man.

Randle started as winemaker for The Hess Collection in 1983, when Donald Hess began to set aside a portion of the grapes from the Hess Vineyards for his own premium wine label. In the ensuing years, Randle has continued to hone and refine his winemaking style, working with the powerful fruit produced by the estate vineyards to create elegant wines of great complexity, depth and structure.

A native Californian, Randle attended the University of California at Davis, graduating with a M.S. in Viticulture in 1974. As a viticulturist for the original Souverain Winery in Rutherford, California, he gained first-hand knowledge of grape characteristics produced by the differing micro-climates found in the Napa Valley. Later, under the guidance of Souverain winemaker Phil Baxter, he learned the practical aspects of
winemaking from the floor up, as assistant winemaker. In 1977, an opportunity came along that he could not resist. Randle became the vineyard manager and cellarmaster for Mayacamas Vineyards, located 2,500 feet up Mount Veeder in the western hills of Napa Valley. This experience fostered an intense interest in the unique attributes of mountain grapes. At Mayacamas, experimented with different Mount Veeder vineyards, making several distinctive experimental wines.

After two years as winemaker at Stags’ Leap Winery, Randle returned to Mount Veeder in 1983, joining the emerging winery of Donald Hess to produce exceptional wines from the mountain grapes of Mt. Veeder. In 1996, that vision went global with the establishment of an import company, The Hess Collection New World Wines. Randle currently concentrates his efforts on Artezin wines, Bodega Colomé, and
specialized winemaking projects.

Our Winemaker
and the Craft of Winemaking

Mark Lavezzoli
Chief Winemaker & Chief Vintner

Mark Lavezzoli
Mark and Kris Lavezzoli

Pompei Wine Crusher
Wine Crusher and Press from Pompei
Circa 79AD - Photo by Mark Lavezzoli

Wine Cellar
The wine cellars at Shadowbrook
Chief winemaker Mark Lavezzoli and I combine very traditional and Innovative wine craftsmanship. Traditionally a first year’s harvest will produce light and mild wine. To combat this outcome we utilized a technique called “extended maceration” on each varietal. This process requires stainless steel floating lid fermenters and “hands on” monitoring and testing. We then pressed the grapes after approximately 21 days and aged the wine in French and American oak barrels.

Both Mark and I are extremely excited about Walnut Creek’s potential in producing a first class wine. All of our varietals are showing quite well so early in the process.

About Mark Lavezzoli

Mark Lavezzoli’s winemaking heritage dates back to the early 1900’s in the mountain towns of Trigilio and Ottone, just north of Genoa, Italy.

It was there that his grandfather created marvelous blends from his estate grown vines, supplying the surrounding towns with fine Lavezzoli vintages. This winemaking heritage has been passed down through the family and continues today through Mark’s efforts to improve and master this seductive craft.
Wine Cellar
Shadowbrook Wine on the Vine

A graduate of UC Davis, Mark continues to master his winemaking skills through continued education, enabling him to craft high end wines for your pleasure. Since his first “crush” in 1993 with a small group of like minded wine enthusiasts, he has moved on to help Shadowbrook Vineyards create a bounty of hand crafted wines made with care. Mark prefers a smaller boutique winery with a very hands-on approach.
    The ability to be involved with the wines on a daily basis ensures that the wine will be of the highest of quality when served at your table.

Since he is part Irish, he also can brew a very nice dark ale or a traditional stout. However, with the majority of his blood being Italian, his major love is crafting wines first for Shadowbrook, and then for your ultimate pleasure. - Tim Jochner, Winemaster
Thank you all for working so hard with us to bring Walnut Creek back to its viticultural origins.

Map &
Directions

All Content Copyright © 2006-2010 Shadowbrook Winery