J. Wilkes is a brand dedicated to producing wines from the greatest American Viticultural Areas (AVA’s) on the Central Coast of California. Instead of the ‘selfie’ of vineyard designation, we believe the greatest value and expression of a winegrowing area is careful blending of vineyards and harvest dates. Our goal in crafting these wines is to source the highest quality fruit and to age and bottle our wines with a focus on allowing vintage and region to show clearly and deliciously. We invite you to navigate this website as Jeff Wilkes sailed the Pacific—note the cool breeze and the manifest beauty in every moment, in every sip. Our winemaker Wes Hagen is always available to answer your questions.
ABOUT WES:
Wes worked as Vineyard Manager and Winemaker at Clos Pepe Vineyards and Estate Wines in the Sta. Rita Hills for 21 years and is considered an industry leader in Santa Barbara Wine, having served for more than a decade on the Board of Directors for both Santa Barbara County Vintners and Santa Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance.
Wes is an accomplished wine writer, researcher and lecturer; He has written for the L.A Times Magazine, Sommelier Journal, Burgundy Report and has
appeared and been featured / quoted numerous times in the Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast. Wes researched, wrote and had approved the last three AVA’s in Santa Barbara County: Sta. Rita Hills, Happy Canyon and Ballard Canyon.
Wes taught the Food and Wine Pairing program at Allan Hancock College for four years and has lectured on the History of Wine and Santa Barbara Wine at Cornell University, Caltech and many, many other prestigious institutions. His most recent achievement is having been nominated for a TED-talk on the History of Wine.
LISA STRID - WINEMAKER, ARIDUS WINE COMPANY
Lisa Strid, a Wyoming native who fell in love with wine while working alongside her uncle on his small vineyard and winery in the wilds of western Washington. After a year of pruning, netting, crushing, and fermenting Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, she realized she wanted to make a career of the work, and entered Oregon State University to study enology and viticulture.
While in school, Lisa interned at Alexana Winery in Oregon’s Dundee Hills, where she learned the ins and outs of luxury, small-lot winemaking. She moved to California upon graduation to take a position at E&J Gallo Winery. At Gallo she worked on the Specialty Winemaking team. After nearly two years she transitioned to the role of Research Winemaker. In this position, she focused on innovative equipment use, new technology validation trials, and the exploration of process-driven changes to target different wine styles.
Lisa joined the Aridus team in June of 2016, just in time to help scale up production to over 100 tons. She enjoys working with the small team of dedicated individuals, learning the intricacies of Arizona winegrowing, and making the decisions necessary to bring Aridus' clients the highest quality wines possible. She’s glad to be working at a smaller scale that allows for close contact with customers, growers and grapes alike.