Featured Winemaker: Jim Cargill – House Family Vineyards

As a preview to this year’s Silicon Valley Wine Auction, ESV sought out some of the participating vintners to learn about them and get a flavor for this year's auction.  We sat down with winemaker Jim Cargill in Saratoga to enjoy his panoramic view and enjoy a wine tasting.

Q: House Family Vineyards has an incredible 180-degree view of the Valley.  How do you describe it?

A. My father-in-law (Dave House, founder of the winery and former Silicon Valley technology executive) likes to tell his story as ‘from chips to grapes.’  I think House Family Vineyards is the ultimate juxtaposition of this Valley – of dirt and technology. Here in our steep mountainside vineyard, we overlook what is probably the epicenter of technology in the world. We use a lot of science and technology to make sure things are sound, but we are very old-world minded in our winemaking. I always say wine is really made in the vineyard. My job is to babysit it from vineyard to glass. We want to respect and express the true essence of the grapes. When you have pristine fruit you have that luxury.

Q. Tell us about your journey into becoming the family winemaker.

A. I was born and raised in San Diego around horses and agricultural jobs. While in college in San Jose in the late 1980s, I worked as a ranch hand for Garrod Farms, who is our neighbor here in Saratoga. That’s how I met my wife-to-be; I took care of her horse.

I married into the family long before we started the grapes, and it’s been a long and happy evolution.  I had trained as a chef and started in the restaurant business, so winemaking was an easy “spillover” –no pun intended.  (Cargill is also the chef/owner of Rio Adobe restaurant in Cupertino.) I’ve had some great mentors along the way, including Jeffery Patterson from Mt. Eden, who was our earliest winemaker. I’ve also done coursework at UC Davis, the University of Adelaide, and lots of technical seminars.  I’m constantly studying, learning and teaching.

Q.  Do you have a philosophy about wine?

A. I believe a glass of wine should be like a great conversation. It should excite your mouth. It should have depth, complexity and layers. You should want to spend the evening with it.

Q. If you could only take one, which wine would you take with you to a desert island?

A. Not that I don’t love all my children, but I’d have to say our Cabernet. In this region, in this particular microclimate, we grow phenomenal Cabs.

Q. In your opinion, what makes the Santa Cruz Mountains so special for winemaking?

A. First, it’s the people - their care, culture and dedication to the land. We all help each other out, because a rising tide lifts all boats.  Second, the land here is special. We have a very unique climate. With the coastal influence, for example, the Pinots take on this really beautiful conifer influence in taste, like when fog washes through the sempervirens.  They taste like the forest floor, or like a hike on an 80-degree afternoon at Big Basin.