Dan & Cindy Marca of DANCIN Vineyards, located on the outskirts of the city limits at 4477 South Stage Road, have announced the appointment of Brian Denner as their winemaker. Dan told the Review that Brian will take over all winemaking activities on August 15, noting, “Brian’s approach to viticulture and winemaking is consistent with our philosophy of creating an honest expression of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the south part of the state. Here, unique vineyard sites and precise viticulture practices let clusters ripen slowly, allowing flavors and subtle nuances to develop.”
Construction is underway at DANCIN on a state-of-the-art winemaking facility, scheduled for completion in time for this year’s harvest. Dan welcomes inquiries for custom crush services for select clients who share the winery’s desire to craft the highest-quality wines.
Brian Denner has been making premium wine professionally for 17 years. After his first harvest in 1997, he earned his degree in Enology from California State Univeristy/Fresno. He worked as cellarmaster at Williams Selyem Winery, a premier producer of Pinot noir and Chardonnay in Healdsburg, California from 2000-2003, developing a passion for these two very special varietals.
In 2003, Brian moved to Casablanca, Chile, to work as assistant winemaker for Kingston Family Vineyards. He then worked as winemaker at Denner Vineyards in Paso Robles, California from 2004-2009, crafting more than a dozen 90-plus scoring wines from Wine Spectator, one of which earned the 11th spot on the magazine’s Top 100 wines of 2011. In 2010, he moved to the Rogue Valley where he worked with DANCIN Vineyards on its first vintage.
DANCIN has become incredibly popular with locals and visitors and is located just 1/2 mile east of Jacksonville, where pioneer Peter Britt planted his first vineyard nearly 150 years ago—including what was likely to be the first planting of Franc Pinot in Oregon, known today as Pinot Noir. At this time, they’re in the planning phases and will soon be planting an 11-acre expansion of their vineyard, continuing the focus on growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.
DANCIN’s tasting room is the perfect setting to drink in the views of the Table Rocks, Mount McLoughlin and the Rogue Valley, while savoring a selection of fine wines, artisan wood-fired pizza and much more. Open hours are Thursday-Sunday, 12:00noon to 8:00pm.
