At the age of 27, he brought a world of experience to Villa Mt. Eden that spanned from Grgich Hills in Napa Valley to Wynn Wine Growers in Australia. He also brought an appreciation for the need to take risks and a keen sense of curiosity that differentiates great winemakers from good ones.

FROM DAVIS TO AUSTRALIA
Mike graduated from U.C. Davis with a degree in fermentation science in 1978 and soon found it was the art of winemaking he loved. Travel gave him confidence to strike a balance between technique and intuition.

In Australia, his academic background helped him make enjoyable wines from the fruit he says would have been rejected in Napa. Mike returned to California to work at Charles Krug and later at William Hill where he found himself resisting the urge to be a technician and honing his ability as a craftsman instead.

AWARD WINNING WINES
At Villa Mt. Eden Mike has found success with an award-winning winemaking style that results in lush, elegant wines. "California grapes have so much flavor, they dare you to let them go to their optimum threshold. The challenge as a winemaker is to let them," he explains. Such winemaking requires patience and endurance, something Mike learned in college as an All-American cross-country runner. "Like a distance runner, a winemaker needs to pace himself to allow both the grapes and the wine time to evolve," Mike says.