There is no great story of family legacy or historical generations of winemaking in Chris Brockway's past. His story of winemaking is one of personal dedication and the discovery of a talent that gives life to the intoxicating blend of farming and chemistry. Chris grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, where his stepfather's extensive cellar of Grand Cru Burgundies rooted an interest. Like so many young people in college, he majored in a seemingly useless subject. However, 15 years later, his degree in philosophy could not seem more appropriate.

Chris did not delve immediately into the pursuit of winemaking. It was after years of attempting other 'more pratical' careers, that he ended up waiting tables at a restaurant in Seattle. It was at this restaurant in 1993, that he tasted a bottle of wine that made him realize the potential of great winemaking. It was a bottle of 1989 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The complexity and depth of this wine showed Chris the strange alchemy that is winemaking; the transition of grape on a vine to layers of alder smoke, blackberries, cassis and nutmeg swirling in a glass. This first inspiration set him on a path to create the Rhone driven wines he makes today.

Chris earned a degree in enology from Fresno State, and has since been working with Rhone varietal grapes to produce wines of outstanding depth, character, and focus. For the 2004 premier vintage, he has sourced grapes from the Dry Stack Vineyard in Bennett Valley, a newly designated cool climate appellation in Sonoma Valley. It is a young and extremely promising vineyard, and the Broc Cellars Grenache, Syrah, and Petit Sirah are already showing distinctive characteristics that deliver a profound sense of terroir.