Courtney Robinett Wagoner

Coming Up

Training at California State Polytechnic Institute, San Luis Obispo gave Courtney Robinett Wagoner the technical base that later carried into cellar work. Her first winery role came in 2001–2001 as an intern at Artesa Winery in Napa, where the pace and discipline of production wine set the terms of the work. She then moved into the lab and cellar at Wild Horse Winery in Paso Robles region, where fermentation, structure, and timing became part of daily practice rather than classroom theory. By 2005–2007, the enologist role at Gundlach Bundshau Winery in Sonoma placed Courtney closer to the decisions that shape a wine’s final form. From 2007–2013, she held the same title at Alderbrook Winery in Healdsburg, continuing to build a working style grounded in observation and patience. Across those years, the progression was steady: from entry-level tasks to work that required more judgment, more context, and more accountability to the fruit and the site behind it. At Martinelli Winery in null, Courtney served as Assistant Winemaker from 2015–2017 before becoming winemaker in 2017. That move marked the point where accumulated cellar experience became full responsibility. The arc is measured, not abrupt: years of repetition, technical control, and close attention translated into a role centered on keeping the work aligned with the vineyard.

Where They Are Now

Pinot Noir and Zinfandel call for different forms of control, and Courtney Robinett Wagoner works in both with an emphasis on restraint and site expression. Her approach to Pinot Noir is explicit about the vineyard’s role, and she has said, “For the Pinot Noirs, it’s all about location, location, location!” The line points to a cellar philosophy where place stays visible in the finished wine and the winemaker’s job is to preserve that clarity. “I like to think this gives a sense of place from our Pinot Noirs,” she has said, putting the emphasis on precision over intervention. In that framework, the work is about keeping the wine legible to its origin. For Courtney, Pinot Noir is shaped to carry site character forward, with the cellar serving as a frame rather than a filter.

Signature

Courtney's signature dishes include 2010 Terlato Pinot Noir.

In Their Words “For the Pinot Noirs, it’s all about location, location, location!” “I like to think this gives a sense of place from our Pinot Noirs.”