Grape Escape: Meet Jose Reyes of CRŪ Winery

May 23, 2025 – “I feel so blessed to have this career,” says Jose Reyes, winemaker at CRŪ Winery since 2009, which means he’s been here for the last 16 years. “This is a dream.” 

Reyes has now been in the wine business for over three and a half decades, although he doesn’t look a day over 50. And with a son who has worked with him at CRŪ since 2011 and a young daughter who seems to have inherited his love of flavors, he has no plans to retire. “I love working with yeast and barrels,” says Reyes. “I always want to try new vineyards and do something different!” 

This explains in part why CRŪ has grown from 5,000 cases to 30,000 cases over his tenure. The number of vineyard sources has expanded significantly beyond the ones CRU began with, including Solomon Hills, Sierra Madre, Harris, French Camp, Paraiso, Sarmento and Cobblestone. Now, they are getting Albariño from two different sources, as well as Viognier and Pinot Gris, in addition to their original flagship focus on Chardonnay. Most of the lots are less than 1,500 cases. 

Much of this growth has occurred since 2018, and the arrival of Nathan Stern as GM in October 2019 allowed CRŪ to branch out into the wholesale market as never before. Since then, Reyes has been making wines specifically for accounts like Safeway, Kroger and BevMo, as well as restaurant chains like Pacific Catch, which consumes a large portion of their Albariño production. 

Talking with Reyes and his enologist Eriq Davila, who joined CRŪ in July of 2023, revealed a keen interest in not just the pursuit of flavor perfection but also in the daily practice of both the art and science of winemaking. 

“We take such constant care of the barrels,” says Reyes. “All the Chardonnays spend at least 6 months on the lees, so there is constant stirring during that time.” 

Davila, who graduated from Fresno State and has experience working at Robert Craig and Calera, gravitated towards the chemistry side. Keeping things clean and precise are what helps each of the CRŪ wines stand apart. I’ve yet to find a bad bottle and I’ve sampled plenty. This is a team that cares about every single facet of winemaking, from expert sourcing to fastidious cellar management. 

Music is also a big part of the cellar regimen. “I play all kinds of music, from Latin to classical,” says Reyes. He knows it makes a difference in the wine, because he considers the wines living beings. He once worked in a place where the wines were treated as a commercial entity. He lasted about 9 months. And then he walked into the CRŪ cellar in Madera and never left. 

But let’s roll back to the start of his wine career. At age of 24, Reyes and his wife left Sinaloa, Mexico for the US in search of that which we all seek: gainful employment and potential fulfillment. 

One day, he ended up in Soquel and happened upon Bargetto Winery. Observing the condition of the grounds, he offered his services to Beverly Regan Bargetto, John’s mother, who welcomed him to be their gardener. Pretty soon Reyes also became the janitor. Sanitation is really crucial to becoming a good winemaker. He began working closely with the winemaker at the time, Paul Wofford, demonstrating an eagerness and aptitude to learn more. At that point, he drank only beer, but it would be a Zinfandel rosé that made him a convert. “I fell in love with it,” he says, noting that Regan Vineyards was planted in Beverly’s honor in 1997. 

“One day at harvest, Paul asked me to help,” says Reyes, who was mesmerized by the chaotic regimen of long days and even longer nights. He pitched in, loved it and never stopped. He brought his wife and brother to work at Bargetto, which is fitting in a family operation, where he worked side by side with Beverly’s sons, John and Martin. 

After 8 years at Bargetto, Reyes went to Bonny Doon Vineyards, where he was honored to work with Randall Grahm. He remembers when winemaker Nicole Walsh started. He also remembers the vibrant and delicious wines they made there, and how the Syrah of which Grahm was so fond, completely took his wine appreciation to a new level. 

Along the way, he and his wife purchased a home in Los Banos, and the commute to Santa Cruz was getting old. After 13 years at the House of Doon, he began prospecting in Madera, which is how he found CRŪ.  

We tasted through many amazing wines the day I visited, among them some brand-new releases:

2024 Edna Valley Albariño, Davenport Vineyard, 12.8% – Aromas of lime, kiwi and green apple, mouthwatering acid and guava on the finish. Reyes says the soils are filled with shells, and he loves the low pH of this site, around 3.2. He uses stainless steel only. 

2023 Unoaked Chardonnay, SLH, 13.5% – Although the unoaked Chard used to come from Cobblestone in Arroyo Seco, he prefers the Smith & Lindley Vineyard for its sandy soils and lower pH, around 3.45. Aromas of nectarine are joined by pear, citrus and peach and it glides smoothly across the palate.  

2023 Regan Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains – Done in 25% new Nadalie barrels, this wine has an exquisite finish, and is lush with lemony peach. Reyes says he picks at 23- 23.5Brix and a pH of 3.35, which is pitch-perfect for Chardonnay.

2023 Sierra Madre Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley, 14.5% – From vines that are just 7 years old, this wine has a broad spectrum of flavors and layers that make it extremely easy to drink. Done in 25-30% new Damy barrels, with M toast, it feels plush on the palate, with a slightly tropical finish, along with brûléed peaches and brown sugar. 

2024 Jose’s Rosé of Grenache, SLO Coast, 13.4% – Sourced from the Zepherino Vineyard on the San Luis Obispo Coast, this is intensely strawberry and raspberry with exuberant fruit. Having made Grenache and Syrah rosés in the past at Bonny Doon, Jose wanted to make a 100% Grenache rosé. With only 3 hours of skin contact, it’s a delightful color that screams “Summer!”

2022 Sarmento Vineyard Pinot Noir, Block 19, SLH, 14% – Reyes has been making Pinot Noir from the Sarmento Vineyard since he started at CRŪ, and this wine comes from the top block of the vineyard. Unlike the usual Sarmento Vineyard PN, which is heavily Pommard, this is all clone 667, which delivers blackberry, baking spice and earthy tea-like tannins. Reyes aged this in 20% new Billon barrels, medium toast. This one is filled with attitude and will develop beautifully with time. 

2022 Regan Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, 14% – So graceful and lithe, this wine benefits from only 25% new Ramon barrels for a nice infusion of subtle spice, along with the pretty orange peel and bright red berry fruit. The mouthfeel is plush and absolutely beautiful.  A crowd favorite for obvious reasons, and a wine that is near and dear to Reyes’ heart. He remembers when this vineyard was planted and is honored to make such a beautiful wine in honor of the woman for whom it was named, Beverly Regan Bargetto. 

2022 GSM Rancho Real Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley, 14.2% – Reyes says this traditional Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvédre from a vineyard that sees both fog and sun in equal measure, was inspired by the Syrah he first tasted at Bonny Doon: it was so spicy, he says, it woke up his mouth. Opening with red raspberry and blackberry fruit, plus an olfactory tingle of pepper, this vibrant and energetic wine delivers distinctive pops of cracked peppercorns, including white, black and pink, on the palate. A portion of this wine was rested in new long-grained, air-dried Billon barrels. The finish is of blackberry cobbler with black pepper ice cream. A mouth-stirrer, indeed. 

As we chatted and tasted, it became obvious that Reyes has an uncommon grasp of the nuances of each vineyard source and an unmatched recall of the exact pH and acid levels of each wine we tasted, easily rattling them off, along with the cooperages. He didn’t learn this at UC Davis or Fresno. Let’s just say this is highly unusual for a winemaker with so many different SKUs to manage. He’s truly a master, and CRŪ is darn lucky to have him. 

“Each year, I want to do something different!” he says. So far, he’s been given carte blanche to pick the barrels he wants each harvest. 

Although Latinos make up the majority of cellar and vineyard crews on the Central Coast, wine is still not their beverage of choice. “I go to parties with my fellow Mexicans and they all drink beer and tequila!” says Reyes. “I always bring wine. To me, it is exciting and different and I love it. I usually am the only one drinking it and I end up bringing most of it home!” 

If you haven’t been to the CRŪ tasting room in Soledad on Foothill Blvd (the old Paraiso tasting room), and just a short distance from Wrath, you owe it to yourself. Even if you can’t taste with Jose in person, his smiling countenance on the wall reminds you he is present in every delicious sip. 

CRŪ Santa Lucia Highlands Tasting Room, 37500 Foothill Rd. Soledad | cruwinery.com