It is with great pleasure that we introduce an exciting change at Niner Wine Estates: assistant winemaker, Patrick Muran, has recently been promoted to head winemaker.
Patrick has been involved with Niner Wine Estates since the beginning. At our previous custom crush facility, Orcutt Road Cellars, Patrick worked closely with former winemaker, Amanda Cramer, as the production manager of that facility. Then, when the winery was built in 2009, Patrick was hired to work side-by-side with Amanda as our assistant winemaker.
As assistant winemaker, Patrick spearheaded the effort to equip our newly–constructed LEED Certified facility and oversaw the daily operations of the winery. Over the course of four years, Patrick continually introduced new winemaking techniques to further enhance the quality of our wines. His stylistic approach to winemaking is most evident in some of our new releases, like the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc from Jespersen Vineyard and the 2010 Cabernet Franc from Bootjack Ranch. From vineyard to bottle, Patrick played an instrumental role in crafting these wines. We encourage you to try them.
Raised in San Luis Obispo County, Patrick is a Central Coast native who graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Microbiology. He and his wife Heather, and two daughters Kaylinn and Clare, live in Pismo Beach, California. A seasoned sailor, surfer and free-diving spear-fisherman, Patrick draws much of his inspiration for winemaking from his adventures in the raw, natural world.
With this exciting news comes some sorrow as we say goodbye to Amanda Cramer, who will no longer be with us. Amanda has been a wonderful co-worker and friend to us all here at Niner Wine Estates, it is tough to say goodbye, but exciting to see what the future holds.
We are thrilled to have Patrick in this new role and encourage you to reach out to him to say hello. He will, of course, be at many of our upcoming events, like our Fog Catcher Retrospective Tasting and Tour on June 22. If you plan to attend, please be sure to introduce yourself. Patrick can be reached by phone at 805.226.4868 or by email at [email protected].