Vineyard Team

David grew up on a one-hundred-and-sixty-acre farm in central Minnesota, and decided to escape the cold winters by coming to California for school. His love of plants and agriculture led him to UC Davis, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Viticulture, and met and married his wife, Donna. After an obligatory stint in Napa Valley he made his way to Ridge in 1989. David’s duties include managing the historic Monte Bello vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Whitton Ranch at Geyserville, and the Lytton Estate vineyards in Healdsburg, as well as assisting all Ridge growers in Sonoma, Napa, Santa Clara, and San Luis Obispo counties.

Born a third generation apple farmer, Kyle grew up on his family’s 400 acre ranch in the Aptos hills of Santa Cruz County. Working the land at a young age, he grew a devout appreciation for agriculture and the farming lifestyle. Academically, Kyle was drawn to the “Learn by Doing” philosophy at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. He received his Bachelor of Science in Wine and Viticulture with a concentration in Viticulture and elective focus in both Enology and Plant Protection Science. Kyle has been a part of the Ridge Vineyard Team since 2011, overseeing vineyard operations at Monte Bello. He lives back on the family farm in Aptos with his wife, Lisa, and two boys, Weston and Griffin.

Mauro grew up on Montebello and is the son of two very hard working parents who have worked for Ridge since 2002. He first began working for Ridge at the age of 16 as part of the vineyard crew during the summers to make extra spending money and quickly realized he wanted to pursue a career in Agriculture. He earned his B.S. in Plant Science from Cal Poly Pomona with the goal of pursuing a career in Viticulture as well as focusing on other crop production in Mexico. After graduating, he worked in the Rogue Valley and Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon. Mauro recently moved back to California with his wife Jazmin and looks forward to growing with Ridge, this time in Sonoma.