winemaking Technical spoTlighT
30 Wines&Vines March 2015
S
tanding outside the old wood winery in
Philo, Calif., that used to house Lazy Creek
Vineyards, winemaker Christy Griffith Ack-
erman recalls visiting the estate when it
was owned and operated by the husband-and-wife
team of Josh and Mary Beth Chandler.
Ackerman remembers a simple tasting bar at-
tached to the rustic winery that had space for a few
stainless steel tanks, some barrels and the large, oak
oval fermentation and aging tanks that had been
installed by the original owners who immigrated to
the United States from Switzerland.
The Chandlers and a partner had purchased it
from the founders, Theresia and Hans Kobler, in the
late 1990s. The Koblers purchased the Mendocino
County property in 1969 and established the vine-
yard with Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot
TECHNICAL spoTLIgHT
Lazy Creek Vineyards
New winery at well-known estate focuses on Anderson Valley pinot Noir
By Andrew Adams
The new cellar features 26 open-top
fermentation tanks that range
in capacity from 2 tons to 6 tons.
