After a year as a history major at the University of San Francisco, Charlie answered an ad in the Sonoma paper and went to work for Buena Vista Vineyards. Following one annual cycle working in the vineyard, he joined Buena Vista Winery as a cellar worker. Two years later, in 1975, he was hired by Richard Arrowood as Chateau St. Jean’s fourth employee in time for the winery’s first crush on site. He spent five years there as assistant winemaker/cellarmaster.

Then came a nine-year stint as winemaker at Haywood where Tolbert produced a succession of highly-acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignons and Zinfandels. As a winemaker at Benziger-Glen Ellen, he worked with sixty growers and four product lines – Glen Ellen, M.G. Vallejo, Benziger and Imagery Series wines -- and also participated in sales and marketing programs. As a senior winemaker at Delicato Vineyards, he learned about high volume production. Next, as director of cellar operations for Fetzer Vineyards, he led a cellar team of 50 individuals who produced some four million cases of wine.

In July 2004, Charlie received a call from his mentor, Richard Arrowood, asking him to become assistant winemaker/director of cellar operations at Arrowood Vineyards, and in October 2006, Richard, Alis and Charlie broke ground for a small but very special project called Amapola Creek.

There I was in springtime, up to my waist in wildflowers, trailing the pruning crew and tying canes with 10 to 12 buds onto the wire. Birds were singing and it was right out of Disney – “Zipadeedoodah!” I loved it. It gave me a grounding in and appreciation for the vineyards. I completed the whole growth cycle of the vineyard – learning about pruning, cultivation and irrigation and hoeing weeds – and I left after 51 weeks to work in the cellar at Buena Vista Winery.

How was that experience?

Similar to my viticultural experience in that I learned the practical aspects of wine production. I worked for two years for Al Brett in an old-school environment – we had oval casks that had been brought around the horn by sailing ship. That experience provided good balance in my education because I went from low tech to state-of-the-art at Chateau St. Jean – brand new press, new stainless steel tanks, centrifuge, and small French oak barrels.

You arrived at Chateau St. Jean before the first grape trucks, didn’t you?

Yes, my first job was helping to erect three miles of deer fence. Then I moved into the cellar for our very first crush. Richard Arrowood made me assistant winemaker/cellarmaster by default because I knew which end of the pump was the suction and which end discharged. Don Van Staaveren came along and T-budded Gewürztraminer onto the rootstock in front of the Chateau, and he achieved a phenomenal “take” rate of 99.9%. Unheard of. So we hired him to work in the cellar, too. He eventually took Richard’s place as winemaster when Richard went to Arrowood Vineyards & Winery full-time in 1990. Now Don’s wife, Margo, holds the position – All in the Family.

What did you learn about winemaking from Richard?

I’ve been lucky to work with great teachers. Richard taught me that if you do it, it’s worth doing right. For him, attention to detail, organization, doing things on a timely basis and meticulous sanitation are just not negotiable. With all of our vineyard designation, he cemented for me the importance of the grower. We also had a lot of fun. He appreciates humor and loves to laugh.

That five years at St. Jean really launched my career. It was a terrific break at a formative time for me, and it established my credentials as a serious winemaker. When Peter Haywood gave me an opportunity in 1980, Richard could not have been more supportive, and I never forgot that.

What was appealing about that position?

As winemaker at Haywood, I had a chance to apply all that I had learned, calling the shots as to when to harvest and what style the wine would be. I could be the “buck stops” production guy. I think we had a pretty good Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel run over the nine years I spent there.

And then you joined the Benzigers at Glen Ellen?

Yes. During the period I was at Haywood, Bruno Benziger and his family had begun their business and had sold their ten-millionth case of wine. Ironically, the night after Mike called me about the job, Bruno died.

Theirs is a family business, but it’s a high energy, dynamic organization, and Mike provides positive, charismatic leadership. Their volume gave them the resources to accomplish a great deal. Those were the Farming for Flavors days, before they went organic/biodynamic, and I got a lot of insight into how they built relationships with their 400 growers by involving them in a feedback loop. They put a tremendous effort into keeping lots separate so they could taste and evaluate them.

I spent considerable time there doing market support as well as winemaking. We had the bread-and-butter brand, Glen Ellen, plus M.G. Vallejo, Benziger and Imagery.

Did you find you had a knack for marketing?

Well, I enjoyed it. On the road, we promoted all the flavors and it was a tremendous education. The sheer energy behind their sales and marketing made it like a ceaseless political campaign. And back in the cellar, there was a real collegial atmosphere among the dozen or so winemakers. They encouraged independent work to stimulate our creativity and keep us fresh. They had vineyard guys shaking the bushes to find endangered varieties so that we could make wine from them.

So what took you to the central valley?

I got a call from a headhunter. I had no intention of taking the job, but I drove to Manteca to interview for the experience. Then I got called for a second interview.

I knew Delicato’s director of winemaking, Tom Smith, from Hess, because Benziger bought Hess fruit and he was part of the grower feedback group. He sold me on working there. He said I would love it, so I agreed to spend a day. And he was right. I loved it. It was so educational.

Glen Ellen was a four million case operation, but I had been on the periphery. In 1997 at Delicato, we crushed 144,000 tons of grapes between two facilities. They were establishing their own brands and transitioning from generics to varietals. So they were trying to improve quality. I found it fun and challenging to make a good $6 bottle of Chardonnay, and we were so busy that there was no time for any discontent or pettiness. It was extreme winemaking.

Describe extreme, please.

Well, we crushed from mid-August until mid-November. At 7 a.m., there would be a hundred trucks lined up. At 7 p.m., there would be a hundred trucks lined up. I learned about the scope of our industry; previously, I hadn’t had a clue. At Chateau St. Jean, the most we had crushed was 1,200 tons. But although I operated in two different solar systems, the principals were the same, to obtain the best quality possible.

Then you moved up to Mendocino?

I went to Fetzer as director of cellar operations, but actually I continued to commute to and from Sonoma where my kids were in school. Fetzer was a relatively large organization, and I had 40 people in my department, which expanded to as many as 80 during harvest. We had our own cooperage house and 80,000 barrels to deal with – very labor intensive.

At the director level, I was involved more in strategic, long-term projects, operations and capital budgets, and not dealing with stuck fermentations and sluggish malolactic worries. I was charged with keeping a half dozen winemakers under one roof happy; all of them wanted to be making small lots.

I loved working there. They were good people and there was never a dull moment. But my son was involved in baseball and football through high school. That stuff happens only once, and you can’t miss it. Fetzer was great about it. I would leave at 4:45 on Friday to attend a game, then drive back an hour and a half on Saturday to continue harvest. I was living a lot of my life in my car. Anybody who does it knows how tough commuting is.

Is that when Richard called?

Yes, what an opportunity. I went from four million to 25,000 cases at Arrowood and a ten-minute commute. It was an ideal move for both my professional and personal life. So I jumped at it.

And now you’re part of Amapola Creek?

Yes. Amapola offers me the ability to focus totally on excellence, and Richard introduces me as his partner in that enterprise. How do you say no to that? Hand-crafted is overused in this industry, but we will be hand-making these wines ourselves, not writing out work orders for the night crew. The time to press will be the best time, not just a logistical necessity. Richard, Alis and I all know that fine winemaking is like good cooking – you also have to do the dishes.

What’s it like coming full circle?

Satisfying. I feel that with my experience, I bring something to the party, some confidence and professionalism. I think that when Richard and Alis are out of town and I’m here, they will have peace of mind. And I’m really excited about our site, which has already begun to prove itself. Each block on the estate is unique and Phil Coturri really knows his stuff in the vineyard.

Has Richard changed over 30 years?

We’ve all grown as people based on our experiences. I think Richard has known all along that he has a special talent. I think he needs a creative outlet, but he doesn’t need to be chasing boxes any more. Now he wants to have fun. It’s just in him that he has to make wine. He has this innate ability, a gift, and it’s not like in pro sports where your skills diminish. He has a combination of abilities, including highly attuned acuities of smell and taste, and he will not settle – he is not capable of settling – for anything less than the best.