Dick Cooper has been growing some of Amador County’s best wine grapes for over three decades. Vintners from across California have incorporated Cooper Vineyards grapes in some of the states most acclaimed and sought after wines. But for the past seven years, Dick has been making his own award-winning wines from his prized Shenandoah Valley grapes.

“We currently grow fifteen varieties of grapes”, says daughter Chrissy Cooper. “We make 18 varieties of wine and we release several at a time throughout the year. That way there is always something new for our visitors to try in our tasting room.”

The Cooper Vineyard grape lexicon includes old time varietals Alicante Bouchet, Carignane, Barbera, Syrah, and Zinfandel as well as some of the newer more exotic varieties including Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Pinot Grigio, Roussanne, Marsanne, Tempranillo, Viognier and Sangiovese. “Our goal is for our wines to truly express the unique character of each grape variety,” Chrissy explained.

The man responsible for achieving the Cooper Wines product goal is winemaker Michael Roser. “Great wines start in the vineyard and Dick provides me the best imaginable fruit to work with,” Mike beams. As harvest approaches, Mike does his “lab work” of monitoring sugar and acid levels but the numbers alone don’t determine when to pick. “We don’t pick until everything is in balance; numbers, color and taste,” Mike says. “When Dick and I agree the grapes taste just right, were ready to go. That often means a long harvest.”

Mike is not your typical Davis-trained, winemaker. Mike is a hands-on, learn-by-doing, practical vintner. This amiable, unassuming, shorts-wearing, salt and pepper bearded wine practitioner grew up in Chicago. As a young man, Mike went to Atlanta to study culinary arts at the Hyatt Regency. Even with his formal culinary training, Mike found that professional cooking was not his cup of tea so he went to school at Western Illinois University to study biology and chemistry. After a couple years of higher education, Mike went to work for a Midwestern industrial power products company. “It was January and snowing in Chicago when I got a call that the company was looking for a salesman in California. ‘How about me?’ I said and I was off to sunny, warm Sacramento.

After seven years of urban living, Mike and his wife sought a calmer, more rural lifestyle and moved to Fair Play in El Dorado County and started doing winemaker dinners. “I got to know Rich Gilpin (Windwalker Vineyards) and began to help around winery on a part-time basis,” Mike explained. “As Windwalker grew, Rich asked if I would be interested in working at the winery full-time so we made a deal. I would work full-time if Rich would teach me winemaking. Rich was a terrific teacher and mentor. He is still our consulting winemaker.”

Mike’s practical, hands-on style of winemaking is perfect for producing relatively small lots of individual varietal wines. “We ferment our reds in open top, half ton bins, while the white wines are fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks,” Mike explained. Each variety is inoculated with specific cultured yeast that is intended to bring out the distinctive character of that particular variety in the finished wine. We hand punch (down) each bin six to eight times a day during fermentation. We can have 50 or 60 bins lined up in the winery during peak crush. There are no days off,” Mike laughs.

The young wines are pressed and run off into a variety of oak barrels. “We have a five year barrel management plan which means that about a fifth of our wines start in new barrels,” Mike says. However, each wine receives an exclusive barrel treatment meant to enhance and express the personality of the individual grape variety. Using American and French oak, Mike may use a newer barrel with medium plus toast for the heavier reds like Petite Sirah or Zinfandel, and a more neutral barrel with lighter toast for Barbera. “It all depends on the quality of the fruit and natural character of the wine.”

Customer demand and the increasing popularity of Cooper Wines led to the construction of a new red wine making facility just down the hill from the Italian style tasting room off Shenandoah School Road. “The new building will allow us the flexibility to double our red wine production,” Mike announced. We will continue to make our whites in the tasting room winery but will install the bottling line in the new facility.” The new building will be ready for the 2008 crush.

The Cooper family passion for quality is clearly evident at Cooper Vineyards. The family team of Dick Cooper, daughters Chrissy Cooper and Jeri Swift along with winemaker Mike Roser are committed to making the best wines from the very best that the grapes have to offer.

Cooper Vineyards is located at 21365 Shenandoah School Rd. Tasting Room hours are Friday through Sunday, 11 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Limo’s and Tour Groups appointment required.

For additional information visit their web site at www.CooperWines.com or call (209) 245-6181.