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June 2017 WINES&VINES 39 TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT WINEMAKING like Tampa Bay or get it confused with brands such as Cloudy Bay. "I literally named the winery while riding one of the horses, and someone was riding the other one in the vineyards," he said. "Which is why, by the way, we created the name of the big vineyard Deux Chevaux," or two horses. By 2007, wine production had moved with Brown to Outpost Wines in Angwin, Calif., and Waitte realized he had to make a decision about his fast-growing wine brand. "We were now at about 2,000 cases, and we were getting too big to be at Outpost. I had to decide whether I wanted to be in the wine business or not," he said. "You're working your butt off but not making any money, so I had to back up and be a grower or go for it." With the encouragement of Brown, Waitte decided to go for it. Production moved to The Ranch winery near St. Helena, and Waitte had plans to double the number of cases over the next few years. What had initially been just a retirement hobby was now shaping up to be a full- fledged estate wine business. In 2010, Waitte opened a temporary "pop up" tasting room in St. Helena as he prepared to make the move to his own win- ery facility. He soon found a property on Tubbs Lane near Calistoga. The site was unique in that it would allow him and his wife, Jennifer Waitte, to bring together their two passions of wine and horses. Barry Waitte first met his wife when he bought a horse from her. A fellow Cal Poly graduate, Jen- nifer Waitte had pursued eques- trian and lifestyle journalism and was living in Texas when she met Barry Waitte. She moved to Napa and started helping with the wine brand, and today she is the win- ery president. The 22-acre property called Sundance Ranch had been on the market for a few years. Originally built as a private horse ranch, the Howard Backen-designed prop- erty had been listed for sale after the death of its owner in 2010. Napa Valley was still in the hang- over of the 2008 recession, so Waitte was able to close on it for less than the original asking price. He initially envisioned a win- ery producing around 30,000 gallons per year—or just enough for Tamber Bey production and some growth. However, winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown had a suggestion: Build the winery with double that capacity, and he'd bring his wine production over as Waitte's first custom-crush client. Waitte quickly realized the po- tential and benefits of a steady custom-crush revenue, so he KEY POINTS Built in 2013, the Tamber Bey winery offers space for estate pro- duction and 19 custom-crush clients. The winery is equipped with 36 tanks to provide for flexibility and hands-on winemaking. The converted equestrian area provides 15,000 square feet of winemaking space that includes a covered crush pad, fermenta- tion tanks and two climate-controlled barrel rooms. The winery's estate vineyards include 3 acres in Napa Valley's Oakville AVA.