Some vintners simply make wine. For others, it is a calling.
For Master Winemaker Jon McPherson, Winemaker Javier Flores, and Assistant Winemaker Emily Bloom their profession is also their passion – culminating in masterworks of consumable art, taking the form of award-winning wines. Their solemn quest: to produce wines as sublime as they are faithful to the nature of their grapes.
Meet Jon McPherson
Jon's father was instrumental in the growth of the Texas wine industry and he remembers helping Doc McPherson plant grapes. But in 1985, after graduating from Texas Tech with a B.S. in Food Science along with a second degree in Chemistry, Jon headed for Southern California.
Determined to make his mark in sparkling wines, he became Winemaker at Culbertson Winery in 1986. Thanks to Jon's leadership and expertise, the winery, now known as Thornton Winery, earned the title "America's Most Honored Sparkling Wine Producer."
Meet Javier Flores
Like Jon, Javier inherited his love of the wine industry from his father. In fact, his first steps were probably taken in a winery. In 1986, Javier earned his degree as a Biochemist Engineer from the Tecnologico de Tijuana. He and his wife moved to Southern California where, by chance, he met Jon McPherson. They've been an award-winning team ever since, lending their talents to South Coast Winery Resort & Spa.
Meet Emily Bloom
With over 14 years of experience in the winery and farm industries in California, New Zealand, France, Iowa and Israel, Emily Bloom serves as assistant winemaker and vineyard coordinator for the three award-winning, family-owned Carter wineries – South Coast Winery and Carter Estate Winery, both in Temecula, California, and Carter Creek Winery in Texas Hill Country. She works under the leadership of Jon McPherson, lifetime oenophile and master winemaker who oversees the production of the broad portfolio of the 55+ wines produced by Carter wineries. Bloom previously held the position of enologist and vineyard coordinator at South Coast Winery from 2017 to 2023 where she managed the winery laboratory and performed quality assurance duties during the winemaking process. Prior to that, she worked for a year at South Coast Winery as a harvest intern and lab assistant. Bloom earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Iowa State University in global resource systems (sustainable agriculture) and has attended various viticulture studies programs and earned wine industry certificates at the Wine Scholar Guild, Wine and Spirits Education Trust, Washington State University, University of California, Davis and San Diego State University.