Marin’s Vineyard: Rooted in Family, Ripe with Promise.
Owner & Winemaker, Marin Wolgamott holds a bottle of her Pet Nat.
Hailing from the rural area of Lockwood, CA, Marin’s Vineyard Winemaker, Marin Wolgamott, is deeply grateful for her bucolic roots. She fondly recalls growing up on her parents’ vineyard ranch, a 26-acre property aptly named Black Diamond Ranch. The name comes from the steep driveway leading to the house, so steep that if it ever snowed in Lockwood, it would qualify as a black diamond ski run. Marin grew up learning about and tending to that vineyard land, alongside her parents, which now produces a majority of the grapes for her wines.
Today, she brings that sense of small-town familiarity and warmth to her newly opened tasting room in the blossoming downtown area of Atascadero. With its modern-ranch vibe and inviting atmosphere, the tasting room is the perfect match for her exceptional wines, because, let’s be clear about this: Marin’s Vineyard wines are anything but small-town. Her handcrafted, sustainable wines from the San Antonio Valley AVA in Southern Monterey County, deliver on flavor, balance and elegance.
Despite her unpretentious beginnings, Marin brings a prestigious education and worldly experience to her craft. A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Wine and Viticulture and a concentration in Enology, she has worked for distinguished wineries across California, Oregon, Australia, and New Zealand and still consults for several Central Coast wineries today. Her expertise in sensory analysis and wine chemistry shines through in her aromatic, balanced wines. Winemaking is more than just a career for Marin—it’s her passion, something that becomes evident as soon as you hear her talk about it.
Marin’s artistry isn’t limited to the wine inside the bottle. She also designed and painted the stunning watercolor labels that adorn each bottle. When asked about the meaning behind the windmill featured on her Cabernet and Malbec labels, she shared stories of playing the “Windmill” game with her dad during long drives to school. The red truck on her Rancher’s Wife Red Blend bottles pays tribute to her mom’s beloved vintage truck. And the buffalo on her Rosé label? It has a twofold significance: inspired by a buffalo rendering that hung in her grandmother’s house—sketched by her mother—it also symbolizes the “way of the West,” capturing the essence of Marin’s rural upbringing.
Having recently moved to Atascadero with her partner, Robbie, Marin is thrilled for her tasting room to contribute fresh energy to the downtown area. Judging by her wine-making talent and dedication to her craft, this new venture is sure to be a success.