Randy Dunn

The Path

Winemaking at Caymus Vineyards (1975–1985) gave Randy Dunn the first decade of the discipline that would define the rest of his work. Those years matter because they fixed the habits that count in cellar work: precision, patience, and the repetition of decisions made harvest after harvest. From that base came the move to proprietorship at Dunn Vineyards. The sequence is direct—winemaker first, owner later—but it marks a career built on choosing the harder, more exacting path.

The Work Today

Today, Dunn is proprietor of Dunn Vineyards in Angwin. That title is not decorative; it names the responsibility that governs the work. In practice, it points to stewardship as much as production, and to the routine task of keeping the place and the wine in alignment. Dunn’s manner is spare, and the role fits that temperament: the work does not need amplification to be understood.

Signature

Randy's signature wines include 1979 Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and Feather. Read together, they show a maker working in a strict, legible register, with each bottle serving as a clear marker of Dunn’s identity. 1979 Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon sits early in the Dunn Vineyards line; Feather adds another named point in that record. The two wines emphasize consistency over flourish and give shape to a body of work that is measured in persistence.

In Their Words “I could have done it differently. It's just the level of crap I want to put up with.” “I thought it was pretty and that I could make some good wine.”

Acclaim

The recognition attached to the résumé is built from sequence rather than spectacle: a decade as winemaker, followed by proprietorship at Dunn Vineyards. That progression is the credential. It signals long practice, steady judgment, and the kind of authority that comes from staying close to the work without much noise around it.