Robert Nicol Vineyards

Robert Nicol Vineyards grows grapes to make Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Riesling. Profoundly deaf since birth, Nicol has carved out several successful careers for himself, the latest being a vineyard manager. Although he still is a practicing architect, he devotes much of his time now to tending his 20 acres on a hillside, 17 of which are planted to pinot noir and chardonnay. Asked why he decided to become a vineyard manager at this stage of his life, he joked, “I never had a mid-life crisis. So now I’m having a late-life crisis.” About two and a half years ago he bought the Wild Horse Valley property, and like everything else he has done, he jumped into it with a vengeance. He took courses at UC Davis, he read and he talked with people. “I got the hang of it pretty fast,” he said. “And I continue to learn.”