Winemaker

Building the winery from nothing and trying to tame a wild ranch into a vineyard, felt more like feats of strength on a game show than a concerted effort to accomplish something.

We turned ditch-digging, trellising, and construction work into our newest competition and eventually managed to harness our collective energy into something productive.

As the youngest by far, I always felt I had something to prove. I wanted to shoulder as much as my brothers back then and be taken seriously as we charted the path of the business. It took a lot to earn my spot at the table. My brothers rarely cut me any slack, but man, did I learn a LOT over the years. We gave each other a ton of grief, but we also celebrated wins together.

Our achievements were shared. Our families grew, our family of employees grew, our visitors and wine club members grew, and all of a sudden we’d created a community of people passionate about wine.

FOUR DECADES LATER

Almost four decades later, my brothers have retired or are working on their own pet projects. As I roll up my sleeves and step up to my time to lead, I couldn’t be more grateful to them for shaping the man and leader I am today. Tribute Wines are my way of honoring the journey we took together and the special bond we forged. In my family, the truly great moments were often the little ones, four generations around the dinner table on a random Tuesday or a hard day’s work wrapped up at our neighborhood bar. When I raise a glass of Tribute, it’s those times that come flooding back. So here’s to the big, little moments – may we create many more!

– Chris Benziger

CALIFORNIA GRAPES

Appellation & Farming

A blend of three renowned California growing regions, our grapes come from Certified Sustainable vineyards in San Benito County, Paso Robles, and San Lucas near Monterey. Each area brings unique characteristics to the final wine. From the heat and red fruit notes in Paso Robles to the cooler maritime influences of San Lucas and San Benito which offer density and structure, Tribute Cabernet boasts rustic, layered flavors.

Vintage

2016 was a moderate year compared to the proceeding vintages that had to combat the drought. The growing year started off with a wet winter. In the Spring there was a string of unseasonably warmer days followed by late rain, but once bud break started the Summer and Fall went very smoothly. 2016 delivered both exceptional quality and quantity for our Cabernet grapes.