Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/859549
{ SOMMjournal.com } 61 harvest, I learned a great deal, experiencing the hard work, long hours and importance of picking grapes at the right time." She then moved on to study abroad in New Zealand, learning about cool-climate viticulture. With her heart set on winemaking, she changed her major to viticulture and enology. After graduation, she worked as an apprentice under winemaker Kris Curran at Sea Smoke Cellars in Santa Barbara County, before joining the Viña Isidro team in Chile. In 2003, an impromptu meeting with Mike Trujillo, Sequoia Grove's President and Director of Winemaking, brought her back to California. Trujillo was looking to hire an assistant winemaker for Sequoia Grove Winery. After discussing Hill's background, interest to learn and seeing that her enthusiasm matched his own in wine - making, Trujillo offered her the job. Thirteen years later, they are still successfully working side by side. "Mike is very passionate, and I quickly realized that he shared that same passion that I fell in love with from reading The Heartbreak Grape," explains Hill. "He could articulate the terroir through the wine, using Cabernet Sauvignon instead of Pinot Noir." Trujillo has worked at Sequoia Grove since 1982. Back then, the then-fledgling winery was consulting with the greatest Napa Valley winemakers of the 20th century, André Tchelistcheff and Tony Soter. After a summer road trip took Trujillo to the winery on Napa's his - toric Highway 29, he decided to take a semester off to work at the winery. "I told my mom, 'I kind of like this California stuff. I'm going to take a semester off.' So here I am, 30-some years later and I'm still taking a semester off," Trujillo laughs. Tchelistcheff encouraged Trujillo to enroll in the U. C. Davis winemaking extension program. Trujillo recalls learning chemistry and winemaking in class while doing his homework with Tchelistcheff. "To sit there and just soak up knowl - edge from these veterans was amazing, and they gave you a different perspective from what you learned in the classroom," says Trujillo. In 2002, Trujillo was promoted to President and Director of Winemaking. "I really wanted to keep the legacy going with Sequoia Grove," says Trujillo, who explained that the winery's founder Jim Allen was focused on empowering people first. "Molly came on board as Assistant Winemaker immediately after the transition. She was 24 years old and had already trained with multiple winemakers in different regions of the world. Molly was skilled and driven—I wanted to support her growth by sharing my (winemaking) expe - riences and the teachings of my mentors. It has been exciting to watch Molly develop her methods, palate and experiences over time." In 2008, Hill officially took the reins as Winemaker. "I went to U. C. Davis where I learned the theoretical, and then Mike gave me a very thorough practical education," says Hill. Quality Is Key In 2002, focusing on the commitment to crafting the highest-quality wines possible, Trujillo and Hill took a closer look at the vineyards from where they sourced grapes. "We graded all the vineyards— A, B, C—and immediately got rid of the B- and C-quality vineyards to focus solely on the A-quality vineyards," explains Hill. "Mike and I also started building up the single-vineyard program, so I got to fulfill my terroir desires with Cabernet Sauvignon." When Mike Trujillo met his mentors in 1981, he knew nothing about wine, having grown up in a beer and bourbon culture. "They embed the art into you," says Trujillo as he talked about his days learning to make wine from Tony Soter and André Tchelistcheff. "I would be proud to say that what they passed on to me, I've passed on to Molly, because she is very much into the art of wine and finding that balance. Wine shouldn't be 'in your face'; it should be balanced and pretty." Sequoias tower over the rustic tasting room.