winemaking

Our style is strongly influenced by the character of fine European wines that pair well with food. We work closely with selected growers to secure fruit that will produce well-balanced wines that are true to the variety and without excessive alcohol. Absolutely minimal cellar handling is used to preserve the full character and complexity that the grapes can provide. Racking and bottling schedules do not follow rigid timelines, but are adapted to fit the development of each wine.  The finest barrels are used judiciously so that oak flavors are not dominant and at most provide a subtle background to the intrinsic aroma and flavor profile of the wine. We do not fine or filter our wines. The wines are exposed minimally to air during production and aging, and they can be expected to continue to improve with several years of bottle aging, though all Rexford wines can be drunk with pleasure on release.

the winemakers

Joe Miller, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, is the winemaker at Rexford. During his professional career he carried out research on a variety of topics including the active nuclei of galaxies, quasars, and the role of mergers and interactions of galaxies on galaxy evolution. He has also taught university courses on enology and wine appreciation for more than 30 years and began making wine in the 1970s. Many of the students in his wine courses went on to start wineries of their own or to work in other aspects of the wine industry.  He has traveled extensively in the wine-producing regions of France, Italy, and Australia, meeting with many of the finest wine producers there.  His winemaking approach has been strongly influenced by decades of exposure to the fine wines of France and Italy as well as California.  Joe works with his son Sam Miller, the Rexford associate winemaker. A longtime guitarist, Sam graduated from UCLA where he participated in the jazz studies program under Kenny Burrell. He holds an MA in Jazz History and Research from Rutgers-Newark University and completed a thesis on jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley. He also has many years of experience in wine production and fine wine sales. Based on over 35 years of hands-on winemaking combined, Joe and Sam depend on sensory evaluation to guide them in crafting Rexford wines.