Meet the Team: Consulting Winemaker Theresa Heredia
Theresa Heredia joined Gary Farrell Winery team as winemaker in May of 2012. Theresa earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, before becoming a Ph.D candidate in chemistry with an emphasis in enology at U.C. Davis. She left the program to follow her calling as a hands-on winemaker. Coming off a long stint as winemaker at Freestone Vineyards in Sonoma County, Heredia brings considerable experience working with cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and small-lot, single-vineyard wines. During her tenure at Freestone, Heredia’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay brought the Joseph Phelps-owned winery significant critical acclaim. In early 2012 she was named “Winemaker to Watch” by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Theresa practices site-specific winemaking at Gary Farrell, a thoughtful approach that seeks to capture a sense of place in the wines, giving each vineyard a voice to express its unique interaction of soil, vine, climate, and farming. She works closely with an all-star lineup of vineyards that are prized for their exceptional fruit, including Rochioli, Allen, Bacigalupi, Hallberg, Ritchie, Durell and Gap’s Crown. This combination of Theresa’s meticulous winemaking and top-quality vineyards has resulted in annual, superlative accolades for Gary Farrell Winery.
– 2020 Winemaker of the Year Nominee –
Wine Enthusiast
– 2020 Top 50 Sonoma Producer –
Wine Spectator
– 2020 & 2019 Top 100 Winery –
Wine & Spirits
– #1 Wine, Top 100 Wines of 2017 –
Wine Enthusiast
– 2016 Winery of the Year –
PinotFile Rusty Gaffney
– 2015 Winery of the Year –
PinotReport Greg Walter