Winemaking Team

Bob Iantosca

Winemaker, Vice President

For Bob Iantosca, winemaking is art inspired by life. Gloria Ferrer’s dynamic Sonoma Carneros vineyards have been a constant source of inspiration since he joined the winery in 1984. Over the years, he has created more award-winning California sparkling wines than any other single winemaker. He has collaborated on the cultivation of the estate vineyards from 40 to 335 acres, experimented with some 40 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir clones and led the winery to expand its repertoire to include intensely flavorful cool-climate still wines.

Bob has worked for some of California’s most prestigious and pioneering wineries. He became cellar master during his three-year tenure at Dry Creek Vineyard, and then honed his skills at Dehlinger, known for its exquisite small-production Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. He then joined Stevenot Vineyards, heralded as a pioneer of the rebirth of Calaveras County winemaking. He made his first sparkling wines at Mark West Vineyard, before joining the founding team at Gloria Ferrer, as assistant winemaker.

“Working at Gloria Ferrer from the winery’s beginning has been a tremendous opportunity,” says Bob, who, along with Vineyard Manager Mike Crumly, has directed the estate’s vineyard development for more than 20 years. “The synergy between the winemaking and winegrowing teams is one of our greatest benefits, particularly when it comes to Pinot Noir. Mike and I have studied every block, year after year, with the ability to choose the rootstocks, clones, trellising, vine spacing—everything we have needed to make the best sparkling and still wines from these Carneros vineyard sites.”

Having enjoyed a more than 20-year relationship with the vineyards of Gloria Ferrer, Bob knows what he wants from every grape. “My philosophy is to use a very light hand on our wines, which is why we don’t do malolactic fermentation or overpower our wines with oak,” he explains. “We want our wines to be an expression of the flavors, aromas and varietal character born in the vineyard.”

To preserve the character in more than 50 separate blocks each year, the team handpicks every estate grape and whole-cluster presses to prevent skin breakage and phenolic bitterness in the juice. The result is decidedly fruity sparkling wines richly expressive of their birthplace: estate vineyards planted on east-facing slopes on Carneros’ west side.

“I love what I do because there is always something new to learn about the land and the grapes,” says Bob, who has devoted his life to capturing the distinctive Carneros terroir in wines made to pair perfectly with food. Ever dedicated to improving upon the previous vintage, this winemaker’s passion for quality is continually revealed in the elegant wines of Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards.

Mike Crumly

Vice President/Vineyard Manager

Mike Crumly is a seeker of truth. As the longtime vineyard manager of Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards, he has devoted more than two decades to the study of soils, clones, rootstocks and microclimates on our Carneros estate, with the goal of cultivating grapes that taste of true vineyard character.

Guided by a commitment to nurturing balanced vines, Mike has had the opportunity to plan and tend the vineyards of Gloria Ferrer from the ground up. “When I joined Gloria Ferrer in 1986, there were 40 acres of vineyards planted to one-year-old vines,” remembers Mike. Today, he oversees the winery’s 335 acres planted to diverse blocks of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Syrah.

Over the years, Mike and Winemaker Bob Iantosca’s collaborative partnership has evolved with the land in their care. "We’ve matured with the vineyards and that has had a tremendous impact on our ability to cultivate the highest quality fruit from balanced vines,” says Mike. The two also have become expert in the evaluation of wine grape clones. In 1988, Mike planted the first of three clonal trials of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in conjunction with U.C. Davis. Their groundbreaking research has had a profound effect on the increasingly expressive sparkling and still wines of Gloria Ferrer.

Mike, who maintains a “genetic library” vineyard with examples of every clone he has studied since the first trial, has spent years meticulously matching Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones to the sites that will allow for naturally balanced vines. The diversity of growing conditions on the estate has further encouraged him to practice what he calls “micro-vinification”—a winegrowing technique that has the team studying the nuances within vineyard blocks, and then harvesting and fermenting these subtleties in small lots.

“My goal is to cultivate as many distinct vineyard lots as possible, so that Bob has the most complete array of flavors, aromas and varietal characteristics with which to make his wines,” explains Mike. In a more than 20-year career defined by a passion for science, tireless clonal research and an intuitive relationship with nature, this mission continues to inspire Mike’s zeal for winegrowing that is true to its roots.

Click here to view Gloria Ferrer's Uncorked segment about vineyard management

Click here to view Gloria Ferrer's Uncorked segment following our winemaking process.