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50 W i n e s & V i n e s M AY 2 0 1 4 I nspiration is derived from wine in many different ways. For Layne Montgomery, founding winemaker of M2 Wines, one of the wines that first stoked his passion for winemaking was undistinguished, yet still proved to be revelatory for some- one who knew little about wine. "My first glass of wine I ever had: I was 19 years old, in college, and it was pink Catawba," Montgomery recalled while tasting through a few barrels in the barrel room of his new winery, located north of Lodi, Calif. "No offense to them but… you know (I was) born and raised South- ern Baptist. Momma don't dance; daddy don't rock and roll, and my sister still thinks I'm going to hell for making the devil's Kool-Aid. But I knew there was enough hype in the world about wine that there had to be better s*** than this." That ordinary wine sparked an intellec- tual curiosity in Montgomery that com- pelled him to go on and try thousands of wines. After college Montgomery, whose voice carries a slight drawl from growing up in Missouri and Arkansas, worked in television production in Arkansas, Colo- rado and Arizona for 15 years before spending seven years in marketing in the Sacramento, Calif., area while maintain- ing a steadfast pursuit of gaining wine knowledge. In 1983, while still living in the Mid- west, he flew out to Napa, Calif., by him- self to visit wineries and taste. While at home he made regular trips to the Brown Derby in Springfield, Mo., to find new wines. "I never even considered getting into the wine business; but you know, now I can't imagine doing anything else," he said. Montgomery first started making wine around 1999. A 5-gallon carboy of wine was soon followed by a barrel, then three barrels, which soon grew to more than seven. He settled in the Lodi area to be near affordable grapes, and he and his original partner (whose last name also began with an "M," hence the name M2) produced their first vintage of 750 cases at a cus- tom-crush location in 2004. The following year they leased an empty warehouse in an industrial area on the eastern edge of Lodi and set up shop as a winery. Montgomery bolstered his skills with classes at the University of California, Davis, and after a few years he bought out his original partner. Montgomery says he has an intense passion for winemaking, and that narrow focus almost cost him the company. In 2008, brothers Terry and Ted Woodruff and Steve Stiles bought partner stakes in the winery and kept it afloat. Both Wood- ruff brothers play an active role in the winery, and Terry Woodruff is the CEO. Assistant winemaker Mark Sanford is also a member of the board of directors, as is partner Brian Pickard. "I was just obsessed with making wine. I didn't pay attention too much to the other part, and they came in and took control of the financial situation and got everything going correctly," Mont- gomery said. By 2013, the winery had built a strong base of support through its 800-member wine club, good direct-to-consumer sales and a distribution agreement to send almost a third of the winery's production to Asia. M2 Wines is now making around 4,000 cases per year. Future growth and wine- making operations were cramped by the tiny warehouse space that also didn't offer many amenities for folks doing wine tasting. Highlights • The new M2 Wines winery is designed to accommodate future growth through direct-to-consumer sales and a simple yet efficient winemaking area. • A modern tasting room is surrounded by oversize doors that can be opened to provide a tasting experience in a planned estate vineyard. • Winemaker Layne Montgomery works with several Lodi, Calif., area growers to craft fruit-forward yet balanced wines. Growing Into the Estate M2 Wines goes from warehouse to modern winery in Lodi, Calif. By Andrew Adams rAndy CApAroso The new M2 Wines winery tasting room features white polycarbonate walls that can be rolled open when weather permits. G R A P E G R O W I N G W I N E M A K I N G TECHNICAL REVIEW