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Chris grew up on the Oregon Coast among the dense forests and incessant rain. His longing to see beyond the howling wind and torrential downpours influenced him to travel far and beyond to culture rich Europe, rugged New Zealand to sunny Australia and even the dry, frozen continent of Antarctica. These explorations lead him to discover and enjoy the many fermented beverages of the world and on his return home promptly joined the Fermentation Science program at Oregon State University, where he had obtained his Bachelors of Science in Biology. After a year in the program he was itching to get his hands dirty and took an internship at Lemelson Vineyards and never looked back. A few cold, damp vintages later, he headed south to sunny, Santa Rosa where he joined the 2012 harvest team at Punchdown Cellars. Chris was brought on as a Production Assistant in the summer of 2013 to aid in overall planning and logistics at Punchdown Cellars and was later promoted to General Manager.

In 2014 I moved to California in search of a fresh start and found myself working in vineyards as well as wineries learning the craft of growing grapes and making wine. With my brother already well established within the industry it was only a matter of time before I too join the family business. At the time I was simply just trying to pay the bills and ended up falling in love with the entire process of making fine wine. In 2016 I took on the responsibility of farming a run-down half-acre of Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Sts Helena. Doing everything by hand with no formal education; I have spent the last 3 years studying and learning how to bring this vineyard back to life and produce pure Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley.

Working full time in the cellars of producers all over the Napa Valley for the last 5 years has exposed me to an array of different wine making styles. Everything from bigger Bordeaux styles to cooler climate more Burgundian driven techniques of winemaking. Native yeast fermentations and low intervention winemaking has been the most organic process and style I have gravitated towards as a winemaker. With that being said, my brother Dan and I have come together in Sonoma Valley to develop fresh, acid-driven wines that will be both young and fresh as well as age with elegance over time. Getting the opportunity to make these wines and tell our families story has been truly an amazing experience that I am truly grateful for.

Denise Wong graduated from University of Southern California and attended oversees studies in France and Switzerland before embarking in a career in the financial sector of the film industry for 15 years. With a strong passion for food and wine, she owned and operated a restaurant in Los Angeles, served as an Executive Chef at a fine dining restaurant and was the Director of Administration for a McDonald’s franchisee. After 11 years working in Hawaii as a Controller which ended in a merger and acquisition of a top international theatrical exhibition chain, she relocated to Sonoma pursuing her love of food and wine. She joined Punchdown Cellars as the Controller is 2005.