About

If you ask him, Phil might quote a Levon Helm song and describe himself as a “poor old dirt farmer.” However, after more than 40 years pioneering organic and biodynamic winegrowing in California, descriptions range from “famed organic viticulturalist” by the Hollywood Reporter to “the ubiquitous wizard of sustainable winemaking” by Sonoma Magazine. He was born with the cultural palate of Italian immigrants, weaned on the music and ethos of San Francisco in the 1960’s, and planted deep into the rocky hillsides of Sonoma Valley.

There’s so much we could, and should, say about Phil. Let’s face it, we wouldn’t be here without him (*literally, as Sam and Max are his progeny). Fortunately for us, so many others have done the work for us, so we’ll let our friends take it from here while we go back to drinking...erh working.

Family legend holds that at the age of three, Sam went around a party his parents were having with a tray full of Dixie cups proudly serving “ ‘turri Wine” to the guests. Sam was the fourth generation in his family to be born in San Francisco, but he was raised in what we now call the Moon Mountain District, first at the top of Lovall Valley Road and from the age of six on, at 16600. He is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, where he studied Journalism and Political Science before working on statewide elections and in marketing and public affairs.

He returned to the California for the burgeoning cannabis industry in 2010. In the Spring 2011, he joined the family business to build Sixteen 600, launching the first vintage to feature Stanley Mouse label art that year. In doing so he discovered his place in continuing a multi-generational winegrowing community and realized that no matter what his job was, this was really what he was doing the whole time. When not waxing poetic on The Wine Makers podcast to avoid real work, you can find Sam putzing around the garden with his wife Alice and daughter Althea.

When Max was born Phil prophetically proclaimed “Yes! Another tractor driver!” and Max has stayed true to that since day one. As a child he was always happiest outside with a toy tractor, playing in the dirt and throwing rocks and to this day the only thing that has changed is the size of the rocks and toys. Max studied art at Chico State University and applies that artistic vision to sculpting mountainside vineyards. Max takes as much pride in a perfectly executed erosion control plan, knowing that the latter is what helps craft the perfect bottle of wine. Max has worked with Enterprise Vineyards since his first summer after High School, catching sunrises from mountaintops above the fog and spending his days outside throwing rocks with big toys. Max lives in Sonoma with his wife Catherine, daughter Sabine and sons Hudson and Wilder.