Richard Batchelor

The Climb

Training at Lincoln University (NZ) and Lincoln Universtiy gave Richard Batchelor a formal base for a career organized around method and progression. From that starting point, each role added a different layer to his approach, with the work moving deliberately across distinct expressions of winemaking. As enologist at St. Francis Winery & Vineyards (2000–2003), he deepened his technical fluency and sharpened the attention to detail that can affect a finished wine. He then served as winemaker at HALL Wines (2003–2008), expanding the range of his experience and broadening the style he would carry forward. A later stretch as Consulting Winemaker at Paraduxx (2008–2009) further refined that perspective before he settled into a long-term role of his own. Since 2009, Richard has been winemaker of Maryhill Winery, where that accumulated experience continues to inform the work in Goldendale, Washington. The practice there is rooted in the realities of vineyard and season, while drawing on the perspective built across earlier positions. Taken together, the roles read as a steady progression, each one feeding the next and each vintage adding another lesson in what wine can show.

Today

Since 2009, he has held the winemaker post there. He describes the work with unusual directness: "What drives me is the wine itself, where it came from, what the vintage gave me to work with, and whether the person drinking it can taste the difference." The statement puts the emphasis where his practice does: on the wine, the conditions that shaped it, and the person on the other end of the bottle. He has also said, "Every vineyard visited, every conversation with every grower, every handful of soil." That accumulation of vineyard visits, grower conversations, and tactile knowledge keeps the focus on fruit, site, and season behind each bottle.

Signature

Richard's signature dishes include Cabernet Sauvignon, Proprietor’s Reserve Lot 14 Red Wine, Proprietor’s Reserve Grenache, McKinley Springs Vineyards Syrah, and Classic Syrah. Each sits comfortably within the frame of his winemaking, reflecting the clarity and site-conscious sensibility that define his work at Maryhill Winery.

In Their Words “What drives me is the wine itself, where it came from, what the vintage gave me to work with, and whether the person drinking it can taste the difference.”

Recognition

His training includes Lincoln University (NZ).