Eric Hickey practically has winemaking in his DNA. His father, Dave Hickey, is the winemaker of sparkling wines at Laetitia Winery, located in Arroyo Grande in San Luis Obispo County, while Eric oversees all of the still wine production and vineyards. Eric joined the winery in the early days when it was originally known as a Champagne house: Maison Deutz. It changed hands in 1997 and became Laetitia Winery which nonetheless still produces sparkling wines.

Laetitia offers three distinct labels: Nadia (red and white blended wines), Barnwood (Grenache, Cabernet, Merlot and Port from remote vineyards located in Santa Barbara’s back country) and the Laetitia label which has a focus on Pinot Noir. In fact, with its three tiers: estate, reserve and single vineyard, Laetitia holds the largest privately owned Pinot Noir plantings in California. The estate is comprised of 2,000 acres, with 620 acres currently planted to grape vines. This is a lot of work for Eric. “It forces me to stay in tune with all aspects of winemaking for all the varieties and experiment with them,” he says.

As head winemaker since 2002, Eric worked diligently in the cellar prior to that learning all about harvests and his hard work and attention to detail paid off. In 1994 he was appointed cellar master and worked alongside French winemaker Christian Rougenant, learning from the best. He supplemented his trial by fire winemaking education by enrolling in UC Davis programs to further add to his knowledge base. He also made trips to France where he sampled wines in the Rhône Valley, Burgundy and Bordeaux. Stylistically, Eric’s wines exemplify his love of and respect for the land. “The wines are very well balanced so they age well,” he says. “I also work hard at making them consistent year to year.” And as every winemaker knows, that’s the real test; taking what Mother Nature gives you and making it as seamless as possible.

But every winemaker needs time off and when Eric is not crafting wine he can be found surfing off the California coast where he regains a focused approach to his job at Laetitia. “I have regular board meetings,” he admits to his surfing compulsion. “Actually I went to Hawaii this year and surfed some good waves in the North Shore,” he confesses. “Just like surfing, winemaking is marrying art with science, you have to be flexible and know how to hold your breath.” But like any winemaker there are wines he would love to try, if only he had more time. “Whole cluster Grenache and whole cluster Carignane,” he says enthusiastically. That will have to wait for now.

To sample Eric’s wines swing by Laetitia Winery which is open every day between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., directly off Highway 101 between Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo. For tours and tasting schedules call 1-888-809-VINE) or go to www.laetitiawine.com.