Robledo Family Winery

Reynaldo Robledo, Sr. - Founder

Reynaldo Robledo, Sr. (third generation) was born in 1951 in a small pueblo in Atacheo, Michoacán, Mexico. As a five-year-old child, Reynaldo helped support his farming family by making adobe blocks to sell for home construction. He came to America in 1968 and joined his father, Everardo (Lalo) Robledo and other family members at the Christian Brother’s labor camp in Calistoga, California, where he learned how to farm vineyards and graft grapevines. Reynaldo’s ambition to succeed was so grand that after only two years he became the vineyard foreman. His responsibilities included supervising his cousins, uncles, and his own father. 

Reynaldo married María de La Luz Ramirez in 1970. They had nine children, forming the fourth generation: seven sons (including twin boys) and two daughters. 

Reynaldo developed the Sonoma Cutrer Les Pierres Vineyard in the Sonoma Valley in the 1970s before moving to Napa with his family to work with several vineyards and wineries, including St. Supéry Winery’s Dollarhide Vineyards in Pope Valley. Reynaldo worked as an employee for other vineyards and wineries until he established his own vineyard management company with his family in 1994. 

In 1982 Reynaldo was sent to Nice, France to teach the French different grafting techniques that he had invented. On the way there, Reynaldo got lost dressed in his best cowboy apparel in New York thinking he had arrived in France. Fortunately, he was escorted back onto the plane to continue his journey. Once he arrived, he asked for a chainsaw, which he used to remove all the rootstock heads before grafting them. Reynaldo tells the story that everyone quickly walked away, not impressed. Two weeks later, once all the vines had bud break, the French came up to Reynaldo and offered him beer. Soon after, Reynaldo requested to return to America early to see his twin sons who were just born.

After years of saving money, María and Reynaldo purchased their first 13-acre property in 1984 in the Los Carneros appellation of Napa. They planted Pinot Noir grapes and taught their nine children how to work in the vineyards. Reynaldo believed that his children needed to learn to work hard to appreciate the sacrifices their three previous generations had made. He would often say that hard work would keep the family together.

Everardo Robledo - CEO

Everardo was born in Zamora, Michoacán, Mexico in 1975 and was named after his paternal grandfather. That same year, his father Reynaldo, developed the Sonoma Cutrer Winery, Les Pierres Vineyard in Sonoma. As a child, Everardo was very inquisitive, wanting to know how everything worked. He began his career working in his family vineyard at the age of nine. As a young teenager Everardo could lay-out and develop an entire vineyard by himself. Since then, he has developed hundreds of acres of vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties for Robledo Vineyard Management and Robledo Ranches. Everardo helped establish Robledo Vineyard Management, Robledo Ranches and Robledo Family Winery, along with other companies. 

Everardo opened Robledo Cellars in 2007, a custom crush facility in Sonoma. Robledo Cellars also produces all the wine for the family winery, as well as wine for private labels.

Today, as a fourth generation Robledo, Everardo is carrying on his family legacy, sharing it with his wife Nadine and their four children: Vianna, Angelo, Maximus, and Santino.

Francisco Robledo - Cellar Team

When Francisco, son of Reynaldo and María de La Luz, was growing up at the family vineyard, he enjoyed riding the four-wheeler through the vineyard rows while replacing the drippers for efficient irrigation.

Today, Francisco enjoys all aspects of the wine business. He is often socializing with winery guests in the tasting room and works hard in the wine cellar and production. Francisco works well under pressure during harvest or when bottling his family’s finished wine product. He is always eager to share his role in the wine production and is proud to talk through the winemaking process and his involvement with each wine. 

 

Lazaro Robledo - President of Sales

Lazaro, son of Reynaldo and María de La Luz, is passionate about sharing his family story with guests at the winery or at speaking engagements around the world. He is proud to share the sacrifices made by generations of his family and the stories about growing up in a family that strived to achieve the American dream through hard work and dedication. When not working in the family tasting room, hosting wine events, or hosting guests in Sonoma Valley, Lazaro is traveling, selling the family wines across the country.

Lazaro and his wife Patricia have four boys: Orlando, Lazaro, Jr., Abel, and Benjamin.