Winemakers

Ryan Pass
Winemaker

Ryan is a California native, born and raised along the beaches of Los Angeles. He headed north to UC Davis with a love for science and a hunch that it would lead somewhere interesting, even if the destination wasn’t yet clear. That clarity arrived working a summer harvest in Napa. One vintage was all it took. Ryan was hooked. Lucky for him, UC Davis happens to be home to one of the world’s premier Viticulture and Enology programs, and he quickly found his way into the department, setting the course for a life in wine.

Ryan’s path through the industry has been shaped by hands-on learning and a willingness to chase great vineyards wherever they might be. He cut his teeth in the cellar at PlumpJack in Oakville, went on to lead the Chardonnay program at Failla on the Sonoma Coast, and broadened his perspective with a harvest abroad at Torbreck in Australia’s Barossa Valley, working with some of the region’s oldest vines. Those experiences ultimately led him to Farella Vineyard where he served as winemaker for more than a decade before joining Jarvis. 

Over time, Ryan refined his ability to read the vineyard’s quiet signals, trust his palate, and, perhaps most importantly, exercise patience. As a steward of the Jarvis winemaking legacy, his approach favors restraint and balance, making wines built to age while staying true to each varietal and vintage.

When he’s not in the cave, Ryan is most often found with his two young daughters; riding bikes, exploring the park, or occasionally tagging along to the winery to sample grape juice. A lifelong lover of the outdoors, he spends his free time hiking the hills of Napa, mountain biking at Skyline Park, or chasing fresh powder in Tahoe whenever the snow report cooperates.

Dimitri Tchelistcheff
Founding Winemaker

For 29 years we at Jarvis were extremely fortunate to have world-class winemaker Dimitri Tchelistcheff as part of the Jarvis team.   One of the foremost experts in the fields of enology and viticulture, Dimitri served as the founding Jarvis Winemaker, and later as our 'Winemaker Emeritus' in a consulting capacity.

Dimitri’s winemaking career began over a half-century ago, in the summer of 1944, when he worked at Beaulieu Vineyard as a lab assistant for his father, André Tchelistcheff, a 2007 inductee into the Vintners Hall of Fame.  The following year, Dimitri spent his time both after school and during summer break working in his father’s lab, the Napa Valley Enological Research Laboratory.  In 1948, Dimitri began studying Viticulture and Enology at the University of California Davis. While in school, he continued to spend his summer breaks working for his father as a cellar man at Buena Vista Vineyards.

In his early career, Dimitri held winemaking positions at Schramsberg, Ernest & Julio Gallo, and Bodegas De Santo Tomas. In 1977, he began working as an independent consultant of viticulture and enology, consulting for such wineries as Beaulieu Vineyard, Christian Brothers, Inglenook, Franciscan, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Conn Creek, and the Ornellaia Estate in Italy.

In the summer of 1988, Dimitri began consulting for William and Leticia.  During the next 4 years, Dimitri assisted in making the first experimental Jarvis wines. Dimitri continued consulting during the production of the new winery’s first two vintages, 1992 and 1993. Impressed with the results of their joint efforts, Dimitri agreed to become the winemaker for Jarvis Estate starting with the 1994 vintage, and later a consultant.

Dimitri's influence has helped create the signature style of Jarvis Estate wines.  The use of 100% new French oak barrels reflects Dimitri’s emphasis on barrel aging and barrel fermentation. Dimitri was also a firm believer in sur lie aging and the use of malolactic fermentation on both red and white wines. Over the years, Dimitri has assembled a legacy of truly outstanding  wines.