Winemaker Andy Smith
In December 2005, Andy was named as one of Robert Parker's Wine Personalities of the Year in The Wine Advocate year end review.
Andy came to Larkmead in April 1999. Since becoming obsessed with wine in the late Eighties in his native Scotland, Andy has worked with a number of the World's leading producers. These include, most notably Dry River in Martinborough New Zealand; Yalumba in the Barossa Valley, Australia; Littorai and Paul Hobbs in California.
Since 1999 he has been winemaker with the highly regarded DuMol in California's Russian River Valley and brings a Pinot sensitivity to his winemaking for Larkmead. Between 1999 and 2004 he was also winemaker for Napa Valley's Gemstone Vineyard.
Variously described by Robert Parker as "the talented Scotsman" and "a superstar", Andy particularly enjoys the diversity of soils, varieties and clones at Larkmead, which enable him to craft stylish, complex wines reflective of this historic site. He is particularly excited about our new winery and the certainty that our wines will rise to the next level in the years ahead.