Background

John Raytek’s passion for wine began as an apprentice sommelier at The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia. After leaving The Inn he headed west to work alongside Bobby Stuckey at the Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado. Due to these experiences John sought to broaden his palet and moved to Australia to head up the wine programs at Cicada, Celsius and Wine Banc in Sydney. During his time there he began studying for the Masters of Wine and was mentored by winemaker Martin Williams who had recently started a small brand dedicated to vineyard designated Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. After returning to the US, John worked for Flowers Winery and started a small project in the Santa Cruz Mountains called Rhys. Following Rhys, John returned to Sonoma County to work at Copain Wines in 2004. Today, John is the assistant winemaker to Wells Guthrie.