Head Winemaker Rob Davis
Rob Davis is Woodhawk Vineyard’s celebrity head winemaker. He has been the guiding hand for all of our vintages beginning with the first “hobby vintage” he helped produce by hand in the barn in 2022. His tremendous technical background, empirical wisdom, desire for discovery, meticulous quality standards and unbridled enthusiasm for wine (and grapes) have been guiding forces for us from day one.
Rob joined us after retiring from Jordan Vineyards, where he served as head winemaker beginning with their first harvest in 1976, making him the longest tenured winemaker in Sonoma County. Thanks to his impressive tenure and commitment to balance and elegance over four decades, Jordan’s wines developed a reputation of quality and consistency, becoming some of the most popular wines on restaurant wine lists for decades.
Upon graduation from University of California at Davis in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in fermentation science, Davis began working hand-in-hand with famed winemaker André Tchelistcheff to craft the inaugural vintage of Jordan Cabernet. Davis was excited about the opportunity to apprentice under a man considered America’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker. Until Tchelistcheff’s retirement in 1992, the two winemakers took trips to countless chateaux, domaines and caves in France—all experiences that influenced his winemaking. The two became close friends and found that they shared a common philosophy of balanced winemaking, as well as an appreciation for the relationship between food and wine in everyday life.
Born and raised in Sacramento, Davis is an avid swimmer, cyclist and runner. Similar to his mentor, Tchelistcheff, Davis continues to travel the world in an effort to learn more about the miracle of wine.