About the Winemaker

Chuck Mansfield is a fresh-faced pioneer of the next generation.  With an impressive resume that reads like that of men twice his age, Chuck’s expertise was courted in 2007 by Westside’s CEO David Di Loreto when he was just 24. Di Loreto spotted the bourgeoning talent years earlier in the fields of El Dorado County while buying grapes from Chuck’s father.

Chuck’s formative years were spent hands-on in the vineyards, and the education and life experience that followed – including an Oenology/Viticulture degree from CalPoly and studying advanced viticulture in Australia – Chuck’s up-to-date perspective is a natural fit for Hop Kiln’s future.  He will devote his skills to the blossoming estate model of HKG Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, as well as producing the wines of Hop Kiln.

Judging by his first vintages, which have received nothing but favorable press and high scores from the likes of the Wine Spectator and the award-winning The PinotReport, it looks as though wine lovers can expect a succession of high marks in Chuck’s long-reaching future.