Lancaster Estate

Biographies

From Boulder to Vine

Colorado Native Finds Passion in California Wine Country

Jesse Katz, who was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, is the winemaker at Lancaster Estate, an idyllic property in the famed Alexander Valley.

Exposed to wine country during his youth while traveling with his parents in Burgundy, Tuscany, Napa and Sonoma; Katz’s passion was discovered early. After graduating from high school, he went west and received his undergraduate degree in enology and chemistry from California State College at Fresno in 2007.

His father, Andy Katz, a renowned fine art photographer, has produced numerous photography books that capture the beauty and awe of wine country. His work clearly inspired the younger Katz.

With his college degree in hand, Katz spent the next three years assisting top California winemakers during harvest and crush, including Robert Foley in Napa. During the winter months of the northern hemisphere, he followed the grapes south and further honed his winemaking skills in Argentina with Hans Vinding-Diers, winemaker at Bodega Noemia in Patagonia and Paul Hobbs in Mendoza, Argentina at Viña Cobos.

He then traveled back to Northern California and joined the winemaking team at Screaming Eagle, working alongside Winemaker Andy Erickson.

In 2010, Katz became the winemaker for Lancaster Estate. Founded in 1995, Lancaster Estate is located at the southernmost tip of Alexander Valley and is recognized for crafting highly acclaimed wines under the Lancaster Estate and Roth Estate labels.

The family-owned estate has built its reputation producing wines from classic Bordeaux varieties, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon planted on the estate’s 53-hillside acres. As winemaker at Lancaster Estate and Roth Estate, Katz will be working alongside famed consulting winemaker David Ramey and assistant winemaker David Drake.