2022 Joyce Albariño, Arroyo Seco, Monterey

Joyce Wine Company started in the vineyard. In 1986, 4 acres were planted on the hillside behind the Joyce family home in the quiet village of Carmel Valley, California. Back then, now owner and winemaker Russell Joyce was just a kid, learning his work ethic from tending to the vines and racking barrels to hand bottling and hand labeling in his family’s shop. Together, the father and son team made wine to sell down the single street of local restaurants and retailers. It was more work than pay, but a passion was sparked.

Russell Joyce is a self-taught winemaker. Driven by his passion, he has spent his life learning and exploring the techniques and traditions of world-class producers to bring him to his own unique style. In 2010, he stepped up production to an industrial winery in south Salinas. It was during this time that Russell met his now wife, Charlotte, and the third generation of family winemakers was born.

Over the next decade, Joyce Wine Company established a tasting room in the heart of Carmel Valley Village known for its comfortable atmosphere and a community that loves a good time.

As the business and family grew in 2021, Russell and Charlotte moved out of the industrial winery with the purchase of the historic Ventana Winery in the Arroyo Seco AVA. Here, Russell and his son foot-tread grapes and explore the vineyards in a whole new chapter of Joyce Wine Company.