Our Story
Our story begins in 2011 with our purchase of the Misty Oaks estate. The previous family owned the property for more than 40 years and gave the estate its name. We fell in love with the rolling hills, the many old-growth oak trees, and the aura of peace and serenity. The name Misty Oaks proved to be suitable. The estate is often shrouded in mist in the mornings, creating a sense of mystical allure—a powerful and captivating charm that is mysterious and almost magical, drawing people in with its enigmatic nature. It’s not just about physical beauty, but a deeper, more captivating aspect that intrigues and resists explanation.
We grew hay on the property in the early years of our stewardship of the estate. We won’t lie: it’s just not that interesting waking up and looking at hay. So, we decided to plant a vineyard, as fancy landscaping that sort of pays for itself. Something more interesting to experience and ponder. We hired a vineyard management company, who helped us partner with a large, high-end winery in Paso Robles, which offered if we planted Cabernet Sauvignon, they would buy our grapes for their wines. This hit on several levels, as our favorite wines are Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon blends from around the world—Cabernet / Syrah (Australian red table wine), Cabernet / Sangiovese (one flavor of an Italian Super Tuscan), Cabernet / Merlot (French Bordeaux), Cabernet / Malbec (Argentinian red table wine), and more. And thus the vineyard was born.
In the years that followed, we marveled at how the vineyard, estate, ecology, and microclimates meshed into something more together. It inspired us in 2021 to take the next step and use a small amount of the grapes to make wine for ourselves. It was a total lark, something the universe whispered we should do. We did nothing special or unique. We used standard fermentation techniques, aged the wine in neutral barrels, employed none of the artistry of master winemakers, and waited to see what transpired. The wine far exceeded our expectations, exhibiting bright and fresh characteristics with cherry, apple skin, and spiced aromas, followed by graphite and pumpkin seed flavors. It tickled our senses, showed us potential, and opened a new world of possibilities.
We knew then what we wanted and needed to do— make the wines we would *choose* to drink over all other wines, wines that would amplify our experience and accentuate what truly matters: family, friends, connections, conversation, laughter, stories, and relationships. But more than that, we knew we needed to share with others, not as a commercial enterprise doing what other wineries do, but as a community of like-minded people sharing a journey. And thus the Misty Oaks Vineyards Experience was born.