Quivira Vineyards’ is a leading producer of Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc and Rhone varietals, built upon intentional winegrowing and a thoughtful commitment to sustainable and organic farming. Quivira’s philosophy is driven by the seamless vision of quality shared between winemaker Hugh Chappelle and vineyard manager Ned Horton. Together, they have integrated the vineyard and winery where farming practices are optimally aligned with the desired characteristics of the finished wine.

The winemaking style at Quivira emphasizes balance and transparency of terroir utilizing thoughtful low-input winemaking to produce wines that proudly showcase their varietals and origins. In crafting these wines, Hugh uses a light touch when working with the raw materials. This is not a hands-off approach, it simply means that manipulation is intentionally and thoughtfully minimized to only those operations the wine truly needs. In fact, it requires even more engagement via more frequent observation and tasting to best know when and when not to intervene. Hugh likes to develop complexity by judiciously using a few techniques: blending, co-fermentation, phased harvesting and barrel aging - both oak and acacia wood.

Hugh boasts a prestigious resume of making cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast, but his previous experience developing a Zinfandel and Rhône program make him a perfect fit for Quivira. After conducting research at UC Davis in Viticulture and Enology, Hugh worked in the Sierra foothills with Zinfandel and Rhône varieties. Pursuing new opportunities on the Sonoma Coast, he took over winemaking at Flowers Vineyard & Winery from 2000 to 2004 before becoming the Director of Winemaking at Lynmar Estate in the Russian River Valley. Hugh was drawn to Quivira’s unique terroir and became winemaker in 2010. At Quivira, Hugh unconventionally utilizes his warm and cool climate experiences delivering wines with bold varietal character that demonstrate balance and finesse.