About The Lost Canyon Winery

Lost Canyon Winery’s focus is producing small lots of vineyard designated Pinot Noir and Syrah from some of the finest vineyards in the Russian River, Sonoma Coast, and Los Carneros appellations.

We are committed to making cool climate, “vineyard designated” Pinot Noir and Syrah. Each of our wines reflects the unique “terroir” of the individual vineyard and grower’s philosophy. We have partnered with some of the best growers in Sonoma County to create these exceptional wines.

Maintaining a small production size (about 3,000 cases) is at the core of our philosophy of the complex task of making world-class wines. It enables us to respond to their unique timetable, not the reverse. Ultimately, we don't control the grape’s development, but instead we are there to guide and influence the wine to meet its innate potential.

We each share a love affair with Pinot Noir and Syrah. We have been seduced by the complexity, subtlety, and delicacy of ultra premuim Pinot Noir, and the challenge of creating wines that match the best of those elements. Syrah has its own magical attributes. Our cool climate Syrahs have the body and complexity we desire, while providing aninsight into the unique flavors that this highly adaptable grape can provide.

Our History: Refining the craft of winemaking for over 20 years

While Lost Canyon Winery was bonded as a commercial winery in August of 2001, we were actually founded in 1978 as a private venture, Lost Canyon Cellars. For over 20 years we made small lots of ultra-premium wines. The trek from then to now has been one of passion, persistence, and good fortune.

For many professional winemakers like Jack States and Randy Keyworth, being home winemakers was an initiation into the world of wine. The years spent privately honing our craft benefited greatly from the following:

• A community that provided excellent support and training for home winemakers
  
  
• Location with easy access to world class quality grapes from Napa and Sonoma
  
  
• Proximity to a world class viticulture and enology program at UC Davis
  
  
• Friends who had excellent taste and high expectations for the wines they drink

Lost Canyon “Cellars” first vintage was a 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap Vineyard. Unbeknownst to us, we had stumbled into one of the award winning, premier vineyards of the time. We were off to a very auspicious beginning and made one of our best wines ever right from the start – all 18 cases of it! We also made 10 cases of Pinot Noir from a region soon to be known as one of the premier appellations for Pinot Noir – Carneros.

As Lost Canyon Cellars continued to produce wine over the next two decades, our confidence that we could make world-class wines grew. We made over 500 cases of ultra-premium cabernet sauvignon, pinot Noir, and chardonnay. While we became the hit of our social circuit, and colleagues in the food and wine industry who tasted our wines were enthusiastic, we hesitated to take our avocation to the next level and become a commercial winery. But by the end of the 1990’s, a decision had to be made.

In 2000 serendipity struck. A number of events occurred in succession that catapulted us into the world of professional winemaking once and for all. First and foremost was connecting with our third partner – Bob Riskin. Bob shared our passion for wine, a commitment to quality, and a willingness to put in the hard work to succeed.

In addition, it turned out he was crazy enough to want to start up a new winery. Bob brought to the partnership a history of successful brand building and product positioning as an executive with Levi Strauss & Co. for over 20 years. He’s also a lifelong oenophile.

Soon after Bob joined us, we located our facility. A friend of ours was renovating a group of vintage 1900’s warehouses along the Bay waterfront south of Jack London Square in Oakland. There we created a custom designed facility and purchased state-of-the-art equipment to match our new winery. We now had the winery we had dreamed of for years close to our homes so that we could be there daily.

Finally, we found the grapes that matched our plans. Again, luck was on our side as we entered the grape market at precisely the right time. By harvest 2001, there was a surplus of high quality grapes on the market and few buyers. This enabled us to secure the highest quality pinot Noir and syrah fruit from some of the most desired vineyards in Sonoma County. We took this opportunity to establish long-term relationships with those growers. This guarantees Lost Canyon Winery the highest quality fruit for many years to come.