Cris Cherry

Director of Winemaking

Winemaker

Cris and JoAnn Cherry founded Villa Creek Cellars in 2001. The Cherry’s goal was to harness the extreme terroirs of the west side of Paso Robles and make fruit forward yet elegant wines from thoughtfully farmed grapes. In 2003 the Cherry’s purchased 60 acres of land that bears remarkable resemblance to some of the great estates of the Rhône Valley in France and the stunning hills of Priorat in Spain. They moved on to the property, built a small winery and spent the next 9 years preparing the land for planting. Over 2012 and 2013, 13 acres of vines were planted, bringing the MAHA Estate to life. Located 14 miles from the Pacific ocean with elevations from 1500 to 1800 feet, south facing slopes of Calcareous and Siliceous soils provide the perfect environment for growing grapes of character and complexity. The Cherry’s have farmed the MAHA organically and Biodynamically from day one and received CCOF organic and Demeter BIODYNAMIC® certifications in 2015. Their philosophy is that farming without the use of herbicides and pesticides, using only organic matter to build soil nutrition and energy makes the best wine with the truest expression of its place of origin. The MAHA estate brand came to fruition in 2019. 2024 marks the sixth release of the wines which continues to receive high praise from wine writers around the globe. In 2022 they became the 6th winery globally to receive Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC) which focuses on building soil health through no till agriculture, carbon sequestration, respecting animal welfare, and improving the lives of everyone who works on the farm.

MAHA Estate | Villa Creek Cellars

California, United States

Cris Cherry

Director of Winemaking

Vintages Produced