19 Years Service at Yorkville!

Steve Williams has been our vineyard manager for the nineteen years of the current ownership under the Wallo family. Steve moved to Mendocino County in 1978 and originally worked at Edmeades, one of only a small handful of wineries in southern Mendocino County at the time. Steve started his own viticultural service company in the early 1980's. Even before the final purchase documents were drawn up for Yorkville Vineyards in 1988, Edward and Deborah Wallo had already employed Steve's services. Steve has now successfully overseen 19 harvests here during which time he also tripled the planted acreage as well as managed several projects to graft selected vineyard blocks.

Steve has his own commercial vineyards planted to Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel and Viognier. He's had experience with a broad range of wine grapes during his career. Over the years with his wife, Jody, he has traveled most of the main wine growing regions of the world. Steve's knowledge of the area and experience working with the various soil types was extremely helpful when we submitted the application for a special appellation. The BATF approved the Yorkville Highlands Viticultural Area effective June, 1998.