Roger Bower, owner and visionary of Crown Point Vineyards, sat down to share a little about what brought him from an entrepreneurial rancher in Texas to a world-class Cabernet producer in Calfornia. Read on to learn about why he chose Happy Canyon to establish Crown Point what he’s most excited about now.

Simon first heard about Crown Point Vineyards through our own Philippe Melka, who, after joining our team in 2017, shared his excitement about Crown Point with Simon.

Harvest 2019 commenced at Crown Point on September 12. Since then, we have picked just over 10 tons of Merlot from 3 different hillside blocks that are planted in steep gravelly loam along the southwest-facing spine of the property.

Long before humans walked the Earth, seismic waves shook the coast of California, forming the Santa Ynez Fault and one of only a few east-west transverse valleys in the world.

According to folklore, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara County originally got its name during prohibition when moonshiners set up shop to produce a simple bootleg alcohol that locals were eager to acquire. Little did those moonshiners know, they were in an area that would later produce the quality of fruit and wines that are now garnering the attention of respected winemakers and collectors alike.

Although a native of Bordeaux, France, Philippe Melka did not grow up in a winemaking family or with the intention to study and produce wine. Instead, he was fascinated by the land around him.