Thomas Stolpman founded his winery in 1990 in the hills of California’s Central Coast, where the limestone slopes are essentially unobstructed from the Pacific Ocean wind. This allows Syrah and other Rhône varietals to thrive. The grapes are grown in the Ballard Canyon AVA without herbicide and minimal organic fungicide. The winemaking team (now headed by son Pete) strives to withhold irrigation from their vines for greater concentration of flavor and to allow the vines to balance themselves. Ruben Solorzano is one of the key players that gives Stolpman wines their stellar reputation. As a 20-year veteran vineyard manager and local viticultural superstar, Ruben organically dry farms the vines for balanced concentration and a healthy ecosystem.

One of the first business decisions the Stolpmans made– a decision that gives them a reputation for being mindful of their role in our community– was to give all their workers full-time employment; they made a commitment to them and their families by providing careers, instead of temporary work.

Stolpman's La Cuadrilla project provides the vineyard management crew the opportunity to benefit from their work directly, Specific parcels are set aside for the workers to manage during a growing season, and the profits derived from these bottlings are returned directly to "the crew" (La Cuadrilla).