Founders - John & Barbara Drady
John and Barbara Drady founded SCV with winemaker Anthony Austin in 2001. Their affinity for the Pacific Ocean and surrounding landscape brought them to the Sonoma Coast and their passion for Pinot Noir drove them to create Sonoma Coast Vineyards.
Combining over two decades of wine industry experience, John and Barbara teamed with Tony to utilize his wealth of expertise and experience to create the stunning wines of SCV.
Today, boasting an impressive list of mentors and an even more impressive resume, Robin Akhurst continues to carry out the Drady’s commitment to making wines with great nuance and character from all around the Sonoma Coast. A native of Scotland, Robin’s studies took him across the world to New Zealand’s University of Christchurch; then to Burgundy and Australia where he interned with the famed wineries Domaine Leflaive and Two Hands Winery, respectively. Landing in Northern California in 2009, Robin has since worked with winemakers Thomas Rivers Brown, Nils Venge, and Mark Carter.
It is with Robin’s mindset that we strive to produce wines with marked elegance and finesse with minimalist winemaking intervention. With careful consideration of varieties of rootstock, clones, spacing and trellis systems, our challenge and endeavor is to ensure that all the potential of our vineyards is captured and reflected in our wines.
“My winemaking approach for Sonoma Coast Vineyards comes from my time spent in Burgundy where I was mentored in the traditional method of winemaking. Treating each vineyard with the utmost respect and focusing on what each site gave to the characteristic of the grape.” – Robin Akhurst
Besides making exceptional wines, Robin also spends much of his free time exploring the coast with his family. From exploring Bodega Bay, known for its picturesque beauty and charming coastal atmosphere, to hiking, beach combing, tidepool exploration and camping in Sonoma Coast State Park, they love to explore everything on the coast. As an avid cyclist, you can also find him enjoying some of the more remote roads that wind through coastal redwoods, hidden valleys, and small towns.