Born in San Francisco, Bob is a quintessential winemaker. He is made from the stuff that most writers dream of… hands on selection of fruit from nurtured relationships, vineyard sources, crushing one ton at a time, personally monitoring each fermentation, punching down each lot. Bob then decides when the process is complete, which barrel to use, and for how long… He is doing it all himself, and his wines reflect his passion.

Bob's family background is mostly French, so the culture of wine and food is a natural lifestyle choice. Two of his great-grandparents came from wine producing regions in Southwestern France. Upon arriving in the Bay Area, great grandfather Jules Roumiguiere and Jules' mother Celestine Roumiguiere purchased property adjacent to the Water Temple in Sunol. This was to become the ranch where they would plant vines and start their own winery, known by the name of Cote d'Or.

Jules sold most of his wine in bulk to businesses and families in San Francisco's French community. The largest portion of the wine that Jules produced was Zinfandel. At that time, other wineries were just getting started in Southern Alameda County, including Concannon, Wente, and Mirassou. Bob's grandmother and great aunt went to school and church at Mission San Jose, today known as "Warm Springs" by the locals. In 1911, Jules met an untimely death. The family just could not continue alone, so their ranch was sold to PG & E.

As a college student, Bob worked his way through Humboldt State University. During the summer months, he usually went north to Alaska to work as a field biologist, or he worked on fishing boats as a fisherman. After each summer season, Bob would return to Northern California to continue his education. In 1983, Bob came upon a cellar position for crush at Chateau St. Jean, working first-hand with Dick Schmidt. This is when his passion for winemaking came alive. From that point forward until now, Bob worked crush somewhere every harvest. According to Bob, "I was moonlighting in the cellar."

Bob received his Master of Science degree in Natural Resources in 1985. After graduate school, Bob first moved to San Diego, and then to Seattle, where he continued his fall pattern of working crush (harvest) at a winery every year.

Bob with Selena and Patrick