Tell us a little about yourself and how you came into the geology and wine space.
I started in geology as an undergrad at UCSB. Originally, I was a marine biology major and had great dreams of coming from the Midwest to study sharks, stuff like that. I was very biology focused, and it was in an early intro to geology class that I got really into it. I had been won over by geology. My dad is a geologist, and two of my older brothers are as well. [Growing up] I had no interest in geology or rocks— I was not attempting to follow in their footsteps at all—but I took this class and it felt like my eyes were opened in a new way to the world around me. Everywhere I went, everywhere I drove, you could see things about the earth and you could think about the earth changing over time, and it was amazing to me.
I ended up staying in Santa Barbara to do my master’s degree in geology. While finishing the degree, I began working for Seth Kunin [of Kunin Wines] in the tasting room. It was all over for me. When I got into wine, I was enamored by the whole thing. I loved everything about it and loved that everyone in the wine world was as fascinated about the geology world as I was. Shortly after I met Seth, I met Raj, and it snowballed.