About Us
After enjoying many excellent wines from Rhone, Burgundy and California together we decided to embark on our winemaking journey in 2013 with our first vintage being 2015. Alex has worked in the wine business for 15 years, cutting his teeth as a Sommelier in Colorado at fine establishments like Sweet Basil in Vail, to managing sales in the Western US for top importers Domaine Select Wine & Spirits and Eric Solomon Selections. Stephen pairs a lifelong enjoyment of wine with a career in finance taking him from Chicago to New York and now Los Angeles. We decided on the name "A-Frame" because it describes the triangle-shaped vine trellises in Cote Rotie from where we have enjoyed many delicious wines. With our first focus being Rhone varietals we found this quite fitting to pay homage to the old world. Coincidentally, being from California and living near the ocean a perfect A-Frame wave is something surfers are always looking for. Our palette is California and our curiosity takes us to vineyards that few are familiar with, that we feel have the potential to make great wines. Our winemaking philosophy is driven by balance and cadence and we decided from the beginning that we would make our wines in the vineyard, not in the winery. We are humble in our pursuit and we will continue to search for hidden gems, despite the varietal or origin, that we feel are the most exciting and compelling stories that California Viticulture has to offer. We welcome you to our journey and hope you enjoy our wines for years to come.
Alex Stuempfig and Stephen Solaka