When Craig and Nancy Stoller founded Sextant Wines nearly 10 years ago, they decided that a sextant—an old-world instrument using the sun, stars, and horizon to navigate across open water—aptly described Craig’s philosophy on growing and making wine.
Winemaking was a course Craig felt eager to navigate and explore, but the farming side of the business was nothing new to him. Craig is a third-generation vine grower. He learned the family business at Sunridge nurseries, a well-established company that cultivates grape rootstock, including several certified French, Portuguese, and Spanish wine grape selections that can be traced back to their original mother vines.
When Craig and Nancy started their own vineyard in 2003, they planted clones from some of these excellent resources, as well as those from UC Davis. Today, they produce Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Syrah, and Merlot, but their specialty is Zinfandel and Petite Sirah blends. The winery is devoted to expanding the horizons of California’s Central Coast by using carefully selected old-world varieties harvested from the unique soils and climate of three vineyards from three distinct AVAs: Sextant Vineyards in Templeton; MacGregor Vineyards in Edna Valley, County of San Luis Obispo; and Chalk Knoll Vineyards in San Ardo.
Winemaker Steve Martell joined Sextant in 2010. He spends a considerable amount of time in the vineyards, getting to know each vine to ensure quality from first bud to harvest. “Steve’s refined sensory skill, combined with his innate natural winemaking approach, is a perfect match for the style of wine I want Sextant to be known for,” Craig says. Wine tourists are invited to navigate, explore, and discover Sextant’s wines in two tasting room locations. The first can be found in the quaint crossroad town of Old Edna, and the second, a brand new hospitality center opening in the spring of 2012, is located in West Paso Robles along Highway 46. This new home to Sextant Wines promises to be an engaging place to explore Sextant’s exceptional wines.