Dave McGee

The Climb

At Stanford University and University of California, Davis, Dave McGee picked up the academic frame that later shaped the cellar work: structure, observation, and enough discipline to turn curiosity into method. In wine, that sort of background matters less as credential than as training in how to read seasons, vineyards, and production decisions without rushing the process. Harvest work at Villa Creek Cellars in Paso Robles and Alta Colina in Paso Robles put that training into practice. Those roles sit close to the basic mechanics of winemaking—fruit, timing, temperature, repetition—where the work is measured in long days and small adjustments rather than theory. Since 2016, the progression has been visible in Monochrome Wines, where Dave McGee is owner and co-winemaker. The move from study to harvest labor to winery ownership reads as a tightening of focus, not a break from earlier work.

Today

Exclusive white wines define Monochrome Wines in Paso Robles, and Dave McGee makes that narrow brief the point of the project. In a market often organized around breadth, the winery chooses concentration instead: unique and complex white wines, built to earn their place through detail rather than volume. Very small batches shape the cellar method described as a “Wall of Sound.” Each lot is made differently so there are more options at blending time, which pushes the work toward precision and away from a one-note approach. The process is deliberately labor-intensive, and that labor is part of the style. Extended skin contact is one of the experiments used in service of that white-wine program, with the aim of complex whites that bring intense aromatics, luscious textures, and concentrated, layered flavors. The category stays white, but the range inside it is wide enough to support texture, aroma, and blend design.

Signature

Dave's signature wines include 2021 Center Tone, 2021 Barrel Distortion, 2021 Altered Images, 2023 North By Southwest, and 2018 Mix And Match.

In Their Words “At Monochrome, we focus exclusively on white wines, which sets us apart from nearly all the other wineries in California.” “I got into the business (a) because I like wine, and (b) because I enjoy the creative process of making wine.”

Recognition

The 2021 releases gave the house style a set of clear markers. Monochrome 2021 Center Tone became the producer’s highest score ever for a Paso Robles white wine, a direct sign of how fully the program had settled into its shape. The same vintage also set records with Monochrome 2021 Barrel Distortion, noted as its highest score ever for an American Albariño, and Monochrome 2021 Altered Images, noted as its highest score ever for an American Chenin Blanc. Read together, those results show a cellar working across different grapes while keeping a consistent point of view. Monochrome 2023 North By Southwest then ranked #39 of the Top 50 Wines worldwide of 2024. For a Paso Robles producer focused exclusively on white wines, that ranking places the program in international terms without changing the basic fact of the work: batch-by-batch decisions, aimed at character, reached the list.