Arroyo Seco Advocate

Russell Joyce ushers in an inspiring era in the beloved barn at Ventana Vineyards

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK C. ANDERSON

In a windswept, rock-filled vineyard, a few miles from the Soledad Mission, on Los Coches Road, stands a barn that was once the home of Ventana Vineyards.

Originally built by Doug Meador—a Navy pilot who flew in Vietnam, and a legend in these parts for his abundant personality and groundbreaking developments in viticulture— the barn housed a makeshift winery.

It was also a gathering place for the wine families of the region.

Russell Joyce, now 38, is a young man with an old soul. He freely admits that one of the reasons he bought the dilapidated Ventana property in February of 2021, after three years of negotiating, was nostalgia.

He remembers his parents dancing in the barn and drinking Chardonnay with their friends, long before his father cultivated a 5-acre vineyard of his own, and opened a tasting room in the village.

“I wanted to bring back that sense of community, that sense of family, that I felt so strongly in the wine business back then,” he says. “I wanted to create a space where people can come together and celebrate all that makes wine so fundamental to our county.”

Plus, there were other reasons, he adds: “I also love the rural setting here, and that sense of being out in the terroir.”

FRESH VINTAGE

Agriculture tends to be a generational business. Joyce is a prime example.

“My father basically handed me the business with no training,” he says. “I was on my own. You don’t wake up as a master chef. It basically took me 10 years to figure out my path.”

By that time, he was feeling constrained at the facility in Salinas where he was making wine. More importantly, he says, “A winemaker wants to be in the vineyard and cellar, looking out at the land.”

Many spend their lives making wine, but never a buck. He didn’t want to be among them.

“I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny, and to create a legacy,” he says. “I also wanted to have a winery that wasn’t a burden on my family and kids.”

In 2019, he saw an opportunity to acquire the Ventana property that Meador had sold in 2006 to a group of investors, despite its cracks.

“It was unbearable,” says Joyce of the barn’s dilapidated state. “How did they make wine? Is it safe to drink?! I do a lot of unfined and unfiltered, and I am big on cleanliness, and all I could think was, ‘OMG, what were they doing?!’”

Lacking the finances to bring in a contractor to do the $2 million upgrade, he got a loan from 1st Capital Bank in Salinas.

“I leveraged my house,” Joyce says.

He cowboyed it, employing friends who are contractors, even inviting his uncle from Hawaii to help, fresh off retirement as a fire captain, the same elder who taught him to fish and scuba dive.

“I’m really close to my uncle,” says Joyce. “He needed a change, and said, ‘Feed me well and give me good wine!’”

The gig involved seven days a week, starting at 6am. His uncle spent those three months living with Joyce, his wife Charlotte, their newborn and 3-year-old son. It was hectic.

“The job really took a toll on my body!” Joyce says. “But it was extremely rewarding and it felt like we were doing something really good.”

To see the place entirely rebuilt and up to code, complete with modern winemaking conveniences, like proper cooling and glycol on the tanks, is to have a small sense of appreciation for the Herculean effort involved.

PLACE, TIME AND TASTE

The beautiful rock wall that fronts the property tips off the labor involved in clearing the land, and at what makes Arroyo Seco wines special.

Neighbor and grower Michael Griva appreciates Joyce’s commitment to Arroyo Seco.

“His feet are firmly planted in the AVA, and we know he and his children will be great stewards for years to come,” says Griva. “In Russell’s wines, the land is the main ‘voice’ in the bottle.”

Besides the legacy-building component of the project, Joyce also saw the potential for expansion. The property not only came with warehousing, a winery and a vineyard all in one place, but it also came with an unlimited bond, which essentially allows you to make as much wine as you want, which is not available in California anymore.

He’s leasing out space to other winemakers, including Will Chesebro, and doing custom crush contracting as well.

“I want more cool and dedicated winemakers to make wines from here,” Joyce says. “I want to foster that creativity by creating a space for cooperation.” For the first time in his career, he’s not dragging in fruit from all over.

“I decided to choose one AVA, keep my reach small, and reduce my stress level,” he says. “Everything comes from within a 5-mile radius, except for the Carmel Valley fruit.”

Will Chesebro is one of the beneficiaries of Joyce’s setup.

“The dirty little secret of the wine industry is the utter unsustainability of hauling fruit,” Chesebro says. “Being able to process my Cedar Lane fruit right here in Arroyo Seco means fresher, better wines. It’s a win-win.”

Russell’s Joyce wines are all from the Arroyo Seco AVA, including the original Ventana, Guidotti, Mission Ranch, Roger Rose and Cedar Lane vineyards.

The wines, including albarino, Gamay and syrah, are light in tannin and low in alcohol, mostly 12% ABV and below.

“These wines are transparent, a true reflection of terroir,” he says. “We channel the rocks into the wine.”

JUICY FUTURES

Michael Kohne, co-owner of Crave Wine Bar & Shop in Hollister, is a founding board member of the Arroyo Seco Winegrowers. He notes Joyce’s renown as a winemaker is well-established, and carries Joyce’s wine in his shop.

“Given that he has worked with grapes from all corners of Monterey County, his purchase of the historic Ventana estate demonstrates his belief in and passion for what can be achieved in such a special place,” Kohne says.

Joyce makes 20,000 cases a year, which presents a lot of work for himself and his three employees.

But the wines are resonating in the marketplace. “Arroyo Seco has energy and charm, along with that little taste of California sunshine,” he says, “coupled with the freshness on the palate from the rocky soils and the constant wind.”

He eschews what he calls “leesy cheesy oaky” wines, pretty much the definition of California Chardonnay.

Chesebro observes Joyce’s youthful energy and drive impacting the wider growing area.

“Russell’s high quality artisanal wines and savvy marketing sense have been key in boosting the visibility of the Arroyo Seco AVA,” Chesebro says.

Beyond Arroyo Seco, but within Monterey County, the Russell Joyce label includes vineyard designates from Chalone, the Santa Lucia Highlands (Escolle and Cortada Alta) and the Carmel Coast (Albatross Ridge and Pelio).

Despite the constant temptations to make sexy new varieties from exotic vineyards, he’s staying as focused as his wines.

“I don’t want to be a jack of all trades and master of none,” he says. “I’m doubling down on what I am good at. I need more peace and tranquility in my life.”

That already involves recreating the barn-party days of old, with families chowing down on barbecue from the Santa Maria grill next to the welcoming picnic lawns, reveling in the music, laughing with abandon and dancing up a storm.

And while the wine will be freely flowing, it will not be oaky Chardonnay.