Rick Lanza
Rick Lanza began working
with his parents as a
child, bottling wine
and driving tractors
at seven or eight years
old. He helped out in
the tasting room when
he was 12, whether he
was supposed to be there
or not. He recalls that
they bonded together
as a family through their
work and through the
generations of working
together so closely.
When Rick graduated from high
school in the mid-1980s, he
began making wine for Wooden
Valley Winery. Before then,
the wine was made by Chick
and a friend of his, with
Chick having most of the responsibility.
In order to pursue another
opportunity, Chick’s
friend left Wooden Valley
about the time that Rick was
graduating from school. That
left a void in the business
for Rick to fill; the job
of Winemaker.
Rick enjoys making wine in
Suisun Valley and, when
asked, is hesitant to draw
comparisons between Suisun
Valley and other grape growing
regions. Suisun Valley is
what he knows. He’s
never grown grapes or made
wine anywhere other than
in Suisun Valley, nor would
he want to.
Rick believes that quality
wine begins in the vineyard.
He hopes for minimal intervention
in the winemaking process,
but recognizes that all
varieties need some help.
The climate in Suisun Valley
helps them to grow high-quality
grapes, making his job in
the cellar a very enjoyable
and satisfying one.
When asked about his winemaking
style, Rick says that he
has something in mind for
each of the varieties, but
also points out that their
wines are still evolving.
He favors a fruit-forward
style, but acknowledges
that every year is different.
The weather is one variable
which they can’t control,
which creates differences
in the crops. His aim is
for Wooden Valley to improve
their quality year after
year. In his opinion, they’ve
done just that.
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