Meet Gilberto Garcia

1989 was one of the most important years in the life of Gilberto Garcia: he moved to the U.S. from Mexico, met his future wife, Patricia, and found a home at Chateau Montelena Winery. Although he had no idea at the time that he would be in the U.S. for more than a few weeks or months, 2004 marks Gilberto’s 15th year both as a resident of the Napa Valley and as an important member of the Chateau Montelena family.

Gilberto was born and raised in Mexico City, where he enjoyed the city’s bustling energy and activity. While his father had traveled to the U.S. on several occasions to find seasonal work, Gilberto had never traveled outside of Mexico before deciding to join his father and brother on such a trip to California, though he had no idea that he was headed for the picturesque but completely rural Napa Valley. “I remember coming up on a bus into the Napa Valley and for miles all we saw was vines.” Arriving in January, when the region receives its heaviest and most consistent rains, didn’t help to soften the sharp contrast with life in Mexico City. “It was miserable. I hated all the rain. I wasn’t sure how long I could last out here.”

Through a member of the winery’s extended family, Gilberto and his family had heard that there was work at a winery in Calistoga, and they headed up there to find out what they might be able to do. They arrived at Chateau Montelena early one morning that same January, and met the winery’s head gardener, Mel Juler, who was looking for some assistance maintaining the property’s extensive grounds. Gilberto wasn’t expecting or looking for more than a few days work, and was still considering returning to Mexico City. However, in a matter of only a few months, the original prospect of a few days’ work became a permanent job. As the heavy rains of winter softened into spring’s wildflowers, a chance encounter turned into romance soon followed by marriage. Gilberto found himself settled happily into his new life with his bride Patricia in the Napa Valley.

Gilberto soon realized that he needed and wanted to learn English. “I spoke only Spanish at home with my family and at work with my colleagues, but I wanted to be able to talk to other people when I went into a store, or anywhere else.” Gilberto enrolled in classes at Napa Valley College, and through hard work and practice he became fluent in English. This experience inspired him to continue studying a variety of other subjects, and over the years he has taken a broad range of classes.

One of the first classes he took after completing his English courses was on wine. “I enjoyed working in the grounds, but I was always watching what was happening in the cellar, and I wanted to help make the wine.” In addition to taking classes on sensory evaluation and winemaking, Gilberto also gained experience by assisting Montelena’s team of cellar workers whenever the opportunity arose. “I would help a lot on the bottling line, but I wanted to be involved in all the rest of it, too.” The education he gained at Napa Valley College, together with his initiative and drive, paid off in 1998 with a promotion to the cellar.

Gilberto is now our Senior Cellar Supervisor, responsible for the crew, assigning tasks to other members of the cellar team and coordinating activities such as filling barrels, racking, washing tanks, and training our Harvest interns. “It’s hard work, but I really like making something and working with my hands.”

Making great wine is the sum of many factors: having the right vineyards, the right grapes, and most importantly, the right people. At Chateau Montelena, we pride ourselves on the consistent quality of our wines, which we could never achieve without our dedicated team of people who bring their invaluable experience working with the vineyards and the wines, year in and year out. Every member of the Chateau Montelena family represents a powerful link in our unbroken chain of excellence that delivers great wines to our customers. We are proud to celebrate Gilberto’s 15th year as a valued member of the Montelena family, and we look forward to many more years to come.