Dante Dettamanti recently retired from a sparkling career as Stanford’s water polo coach and decided to pursue his family heritage as a vineyardist. Dante now coaches 3 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Yes, of course, it’s a steep, unruly clearing surrounded by redwoods. Yes, of course, the gophers, deer, raccoons, and yellowjackets also love these grapes.

When Dante approached me about making his wine, my first thought was: “What do water polo coaches know about farms, pray tell?” But I didn’t actually say that aloud, since one could just as easily inquire: “What do pediatricians know about Pinot, pray tell?”

Then I thought—Wait a minute! Dante has a master’s degree in engineering, and then he was the preeminent water polo coach in the country for a generation, capping his career with yet another NCAA championship. OK, he’s gotta be a compulsive disciplinarian who doesn’t mind getting cold and before dawn to induce stubborn life forms to perform at exalted standards. Perfect for a Pinot grower….

We made our first Dettamanti Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 2003.  They both won silver medals in the 2005 Santa Cruz Mountains competition, although they were mere babies at the time.  Just wait ‘til they grow up!   That didn't take long.  The 2004 Pinot scored a Gold Medal in the 2006 competition, missing Best Pinot of the competition by a slender point.  We like this trend, and you'll like the wine.