Cutruzzola Vineyards
Get the Dirt from owner Lisa Miller
“Cambria is home to far more cows than grapevine. We love the idea that we’ve established a vineyard in an area of California that is most definitely not known for wine! Could Cambria be California’s next Grand Cru vineyard? Only time will tell…”
Cutruzzola Vineyards is located in a coastal valley just outside the town of Cambria on California's Central Coast. They have two acres planted to Riesling and five acres to Pinot Noir.
If not you, who is your winemaker?
We are very proud to work with Stephen Dooley of Stephen Ross Wine Cellars!
How did you get your start in the winemaking business?
Pure luck – we found a beautiful piece of property in Cambria that was perfect for our two favorite varietals, Riesling & Pinot Noir
That was in 2000, and our first “real” harvest was in 2009.
What's your favorite varietal/wine to make? Why?
We’re both truly passionate about Riesling and Pinot Noir. Frank can recall to this day the very first French Burgundy he enjoyed. Twenty years later, he’s still raving about the Vosne Romanee he had as a med student! Lisa fell in love with Frank and his passion for wine eight years ago, and the rest is history…
What vineyards do you source from? Why? If estate, why do you choose the spot you're in?
Our wines come from our estate vineyard in Cambria. We chose this spot because it was the ideal spot for our two planted varietals, Riesling & Pinot Noir. Stand in the vineyard, and on most days you'll be warmed by sunlight and cooled by ocean breezes.
What do you love about your winemaking region? What makes it different special?
Cambria is home to far more cows than grapevine. We love the idea that we’ve established a vineyard in an area of California that is most definitely not known for wine! Could Cambria be California’s next Grand Cru vineyard? Only time will tell…
What's the story behind your name/label?
Ah, the name…Frank had originally chosen Floating Mountain Vineyards as the name well before we’d produced a single grape. The idea came from Morro Rock and elephant seals. Then Lisa came along and wasn’t particularly keen on the name (ok, let’s be honest – hated it!). After batting around MANY options, we settled on Cutruzzola Vineyards, using Frank’s last name. Cutruzzola being a bit of a mouthful, Lisa created a pronunciation guide (koo-troot-ZOL-a) that appears on our wine labels.
If you had unlimited funds, what would you do differently, if anything, in the production of your wine?
Buy more land!!!!!
We're curious…do you even get tired of drinking your own wine?
Nope!
Is it considered bad form to constantly dip into your inventory?
Not at our house it’s not!
If working in the wine industry wasn't an option, what's your other dream job?
Quite the opposite…our dream is to quit our day jobs and work in the wine industry full-time.
What piece of winemaking equipment is the most fun to use? The hardest? Most necessary?
We have done a bit of home winemaking, and we both love the crusher/de-stemmer and hate the basket press.You can find out more about Cutruzzola and their wines on their website
You can also follow them on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM.
To make a tasting appointment contact Lisa at lisa@cutruzzolavineyards.com.