Our Winemaker

Eric Baugher, Winemaker

With 30 years in the industry, Eric Baugher brings his wealth of winemaking, biochemistry and sensory skills to Gali Vineyards. The 2022 Rosé of Pinot Noir and 2022 Cuvée of Pinot Noir are his first vintages as their winemaker.

“Since I met the Gali family in 2018 while at Ridge, I had the chance to assess the quality of the grapes coming from this corner of the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation. The freshness that is displayed in the Gali wines is directly related to achieving better acidity in the grapes as the vines experience cooler, foggy nights,” he says.

As a child, Eric loved farming and being outdoors. He planted gardens and orchards, raised animals and rode horses. Attending UC Santa Cruz, he received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry and molecular biology in 1994. That scientific background qualified him for a position as a chemist at Ridge Vineyards, entering the wine industry immediately prior to the start of 1994 vintage.

“Over time, the laboratory became my domain for expanding the research and capabilities of wine chemistry analysis to support the minimal-intervention winemaking at Ridge,” says Eric. His efforts resulted in earning placements on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wine list twice in the top 10 of the top 100. At Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Winery, he served as Vice President of Winemaking (2001), Head Winemaker (2004), and then Chief Operating Officer (2016).

Enthusiastic about working with the Gali family to harness their grapes’ unique expression, he says, “At Gali, you can make excellent wine without any winemaking additives besides a small amount of sulfite to preserve the finished wine while barrel aging. This allows the wines to maintain a focused and wholesome flavor characteristic of the grape variety and the vineyard’s soil. That is exactly the type of winemaking experience that I enjoy best: guiding the transformation of grape to wine without the need for a bag of tricks.”