About Us

Once upon a dream.....at least that's what happened to Lynda and me.  I needed a new career after 10 years as a minister in the Christian Chruch (Disciples of Christ). A very vivid dream one night seemed to indicate a vineyard and possibly wine -- it helped that we were living in the Central Valley of California.  So, being the rational person that I am, I quit the ministry, found a job writing grants for a 3-county nonporfit and moved to the Willamette Valley in Oregon.  Lynda joined me 3 months later, and took a job working for the Corvallis School District.

On the weekends I volunteered at a small winery, Belle Fountain Cellars near Corvallis.  After two years, I began to see that wine making was more attractive than grapevine growing.  At the invitation of owner/winemaker Rob Mommsen, I began my journey in the challenging world of winemaking.  I learned enough to be dangerous, Lynda and I were tired of the rain (being Colorado people at heart), and we both were ready for another change of life.  I was about to embark upon my 5th career.  I'd always told myself that I would always need to work, so I better find something that was fun, satisfying and challenging, and hopefully pay the bills.

As my 50th birthday approached, Lynda asked me how I wanted to mark that auspicious occassion. I remarked, tongue-in-cheek, "I've was hoping for a red 1963 Corvette and a 25 year old wife -- or we could buy a winery."  Lynda didin't even hesitate.  She went for the winery.  Then she remarked that it would be nice if the winery were in New Mexico -- and around Santa Fe would be nice so she could be a part of the art community.  I didn't have anything against that except as far as I knew, New Mexico had no wineries.  Two years later we owned Black Mesa Winery in New Mexico.

                 
Throughout the year, activities around the winery ebb and flow. Sometimes its the vines. Other times it's the Tasting Room and festivals. Working with the wine happens almost every day -- even in the middle of winter.

Capture a bit of the day-to-day life in and around the winery by browsing through a few of the photo galleries. A wise person once said, "Open your own small business and be your own boss and you only need to work part-time. You get to choose which 12 hours each day that you want to work."