Lars Bjorkman

Coming Up

Technical training at the University of California, Davis gave Lars Bjorkman the base for work that depends on precision, repetition, and clean decisions in the winery. From there, the path split into two parallel commitments: since 2006, he has worked as associate winemaker at Saddleback Cellars in Oakville, and in 2009 he added the role of winemaker and proprietor at GRO Wines. Those dates mark a career built by layering responsibility rather than trading one post for another.

Where They Are Now

At GRO Wines in Calistoga, Lars works on a small scale that puts attention on vineyard source and cellar handling. The wines are built as small-lot, single-vineyard expressions from North Coast properties, which keeps the work rooted in selection, observation, and consistency. That kind of program asks for patience: the vineyard informs the wine, and the cellar job is to preserve that origin without overworking it.

Signature

The signatures associated with Lars Bjorkman point directly back to site: Mt. Veeder Haspel Vineyard Chardonnay, Frediani Vineyard Cabernet Franc, and Ruhl Vineyard Chardonnay. The common thread is clear enough from the names alone. Each wine is framed around vineyard identity first, which leaves the job of the winemaker to manage texture, balance, and restraint so the site remains legible in the glass.

In Their Words “The goal there is to craft small lot, single vineyard wines from extraordinary properties on the North Coast.”

Honors

None are named.