(Note: This is the third in a series of posts about my trip to Amador County, during which I parked my Airstream trailer at Cooper Vineyards for four days. I still have more posts to complete, so stay tuned for more winery reports. Click on any photo to enlarge it; if you’d like to comment, I’d love to hear from you.)

Perhaps I was an hour early; maybe he was late, but as I leaned against my truck in the parking lot of Jeff Runquist’s Amador winery and tasting room before its Saturday morning opening time, I sipped on a hot latte and tried to figure out the future of the huge concrete pad on the adjacent lot, obviously destined for a stand-up steel structure of some sort.

Anyone driving past could easily assume this unfinished construction project was simply an under-capitalized wine dream gone bust; another mournful casualty of an overactive vision crashing head on into the reality of an economy gone south. But they would be wrong, because this is Jeff Runquist we’re talking about—his property, his project, his next big move.

I made my appointment to chat with Jeff through his wine broker, so I wasn’t surprised when he failed to show. He lives next door, though, on a large parcel choked with out-buildings, so I wasn’t worried. And sure enough, his wife, Margie appeared and told me she was unaware that I was coming, even though she screens the more than 100 emails he receives daily.

Margie said that she and Jeff had been working on assembling a puzzle that had kept them busy until 10 p.m. the night before. So who needs a Wii in Amador? Soon enough, Jeff made his short commute to the tasting room, carrying a clear, unmarked bottle, probably a preview sample of one of his new brews.

Jeff greeted me warmly; we’ve sold his wines at Carpe Vino since we opened the joint. We loved his wine from the very beginning, purchasing substantial quantities of his famous 2002 Petite Sirah from the Salman Vineyard in Clarksburg, well before it earned a coveted Golden Bear for being named best red at the 2004 California State Fair. Plus Jeff regaled a sold-out winemaker dinner crowd several years ago in our Wine Mine function room in Auburn.

When I asked him about the blank concrete pad, Jeff said he had just finalized a deal that would enable construction to begin on a 5,000 square-foot building to crush, ferment and store his wines. “All we need is a refrigerated box,” he explained. Once the steel is delivered, the building could be finished in a couple of months, enabling him to handle his next crush entirely in Amador. All of his previous vintages have been processed at the McManis Family Vineyards in Ripon, the location of his rather substantial “day job.”

Jeff Runquist would seem to be at a crossroads. . .the place where the continuum of building a reputation as one California’s most talented and prolific winemakers intersects with his personal destiny. It is not reckless speculation that someday—and perhaps someday soon—he will free himself to lavish all of his time and energies on building the “R” brand.

Few other winemakers employed by major commercial wineries are positioned to make such a leap, but in addition to his raw, native talent, a number of choices Jeff has made will help facilitate his next transition. First and foremost, he appreciated early the critical edge that he would have by understanding the business side of the wine industry. This became clear to him as he earned a BS in fermentation science from U.C. Davis in 1980 : “My education from Davis was sorely lacking in the practical aspects of making a living,” he said. So, while toiling at J. Lohr’s winery one-acre, one million-case complex in San Jose, he also studied at U.C. Santa Clara where he earned an MBA from the Leavey School of Business.

Unwavering focus is another trait that distinguishes Jeff. He makes red wine, and only red wine. No dessert wines, no ports. . .only big juicy reds. At the time of this writing, eight Runquist wines were available for sale at the winery, but based on his 2010 release list (the first I have ever seen published), 14 more will be ready to go through November.

His go-to wines are, of course, barbera, petite sirah and zinfandel, though he regularly makes pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and primotivo. Yet he is working more frequently with lesser known varieties such as souzao, tannat and touriga. Later this year, he will release new vintages of greanche, sangiovese and carignane.

The one thing that clearly distinguishes Jeff is his ability to find the best fruit available in California. He does not cultivate any vines, and he does not limit his search. . .all of California is on his radar. Barbera from his neighbor, the legendary Dick Cooper, was a key find, but the Enver Salman Vineyard in Clarksburg has been very productive. Jeff also sources grapes from Paso Robles, Lodi and several vineyards in Napa.

Jeff is quite willing to share the accolades with his growers, frequently crediting vineyards on his labels. The result can be a boon for growers because where Jeff buys, others follow. His latest find is the Silvaspoons in Lodi, operated by Ron Silva.

By selecting Amador as the site for his own winery, Jeff comes full circle. After graduating from U.C. Davis in 1980, he went to work for Montevina on Shenandoah School Rd. before doing stints at the Napa Valley Cooperative, J. Lohr and Sycamore Creek in Morgan Hill. He joined McManis in 1998 for one very compelling reason: “Ron McManis is a grower first,” Jeff said, “and he gave me the opportunity to build a winery from scratch. . .I wasn’t going to miss that.”

And what an operation he has built! Under the McManis label, Jeff is part of a team of three winemakers who produce 300,000 cases of wine per year, all in the $10 category. But in addition to this they crush another 30,000 tons of grapes, enough he calculates to produce 1.8 million cases of wine. Much of this juice is sold in bulk to the United Kingdom; big names such as Sebastiani, Kenwood, DeLoach and Fetzer are also customers.

When it comes to his “R” brand, however, annual production is now 10,000 cases. “I’m not interested in being the next 100,000-case producer,” he said. “I’ll see where my creativity takes this.”

His ability to think, plan and execute on so vastly different levels is remarkable. Just imagine what it takes to juggle the two paradigms. . .to operate on such disparate scales and manage materials, labor and quality. I don’t know how he does it, but consider this: his 2007 Runquist Barbera won the Golden Bear for best red wine of the 2009 California State Fair, a stunning second time award for the vintner. But up against this wine was his 2007 McManis Family Vineyards Petite Sirah (California), demonstrating his lust for quality is not limited to his own hand-crafted ”R” wines.

So, how does Jeff follow up his 2007 Barbera, probably one of the most highly decorated wines in Amador or California (it was also Grand Champion, Best of Show at the 2009 Pacific Rim International Wine Competition and a double gold medal winner at the San Francisco International Wine Competition)? He will offer three barberas at three price points: the already released 2008 “R” Barbera, Dick Cooper Vineyard, Amador County (689 cases, $25), 2008 “R” Barbera, Amador County (594 cases, $24) Cooper, and a reserve barbera from the Ambra vineyard in Amador, also planted and managed by Dick Cooper (more details to come).

Jeff spent an hour with me, sampling through the entire line-up in his tasting room. He poured each wine and positioned the bottle on the bar directly in front of me with the label facing toward me. One bottle at a time, with precision and care. . .exactly the way he makes his wine. 

It’s hard not to like this guy; it’s a simple matter to love his wine.