Koehler Winery announced the hire of Nicholas de Luca as winemaker for the small Santa Ynez Valley estate. de Luca is a versatile winemaker who brings with him 17 years of experience working with a number of notable wineries and vineyards in California and New Zealand, including Fisher Vineyards and Williams-Selyem in Sonoma County, California. Most recently, de Luca spent seven vintages as director of vineyards and winemaking at Dierberg & Star Lane Vineyards in Santa Ynez, California.

Of Koehler’s 40-year-old vines, de Luca states, “I look forward to working with such venerable fruit and crafting powerful wines that maintain a sense of elegance. There is a gravity to old vine fruit that just isn’t found in younger vines, and Koehler is ground zero for old vines in the Santa Ynez Valley.”

In conjunction with Koehler’s veteran vineyard manager Felipe Hernandez, de Luca intends to employ Old World winemaking techniques with the best of New World technology to raise Koehler Winery to a new level of quality and repute.

Situated on the celebrated Foxen Canyon Wine Trail in the Santa Ynez Valley, Koehler Winery is located in one of California’s most diverse and distinctive growing regions. Distinct micro-climates on the 100-acre estate result in superb quality fruit, and Koehler’s 40 year old vines are recognized as among the best in the Santa Ynez Valley and surrounding area.