Eric Baugher

The Climb

Training at the University of California, Santa Cruz, came before the first lab post at Ridge Vineyards in Santa Cruz Mountains, California, where Eric Baugher began in 1994 as chemist, lab. That early work sat close to the mechanics of wine: analysis, measurement, and repetition that support everything else in the cellar. In 1995, he moved into the role of winemaker at Ridge Vineyards in Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, a position he held from 1995–2020. His remit expanded again in 2001 with an executive position at Ridge Vineyards, which he continued from 2001–2020. The progression runs from lab work to cellar work to the broader coordination of the house. Today, Eric is co-founder and winemaker of Deaurātus Wines, a venture he has held since 2023. The move marks a new address, but the work still reads in the same register: restraint, rigor, and attention to detail.

Today

“We carry out some of the most disciplined winemaking in the world,” Eric says. The line is blunt, and it maps cleanly onto the way his career has been built: structure before flourish, consistency before theatrics. It is a standard that shows up in the finished wine because it is already present in the work.

Signature

Ridge Monte Bello sits at the center of Eric’s signature wines. The label carries the weight of place, and in his case it also reflects the continuity of a career spent inside a demanding landscape.

In Their Words “ I could not believe the vineyard when I saw it: steep white sandy hillsides and no water.” “ We carry out some of the most disciplined winemaking in the world.”

Recognition

In 2018, Baugher held the combined title of Chief Operating Officer and winemaker at Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello Winery, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The dual role points to the scope of his authority there, joining technical judgment with operational responsibility at one of the region’s closely watched addresses.