The instant you've poured a glass of wine, you have given wine its freedom. This challenges the wine to express itself, to observe the faces around, and to be a catalyst for conversations. As the liberator, you are invited to channel your emotions into the experience, creating an atmosphere where the wine can truly shine.
We winemakers, (Richard C. & Max H.), had the great opportunity of liberating our idea into wine. What's our idea of liberation? Making wines that can echo our friendship, while helping strengthen other's relationships in the process. We want to make wines that will be a portrayal of our mission: a wine label that tackles social issues, all while delivering a flavor filled experience that's simply unforgettable.
Our friendship is like fine wine, its taken years of fermenting and mixing flavorful ideas and in doing so we've created a strong bond and business which we get to share with the world. We met each other on the first day of the Viticulture and Enology graduate program at University of California, Davis. We became fast friends over our first conversation about our love for soccer. We then figured that in our group, it was just the two of us who actually played and loved the sport, it strengthened our bond even more. This was our inspiration when we made our coat of arms for our wine. We decided to combine the American bald-eagle and the Japanese Yatagarasu (Eight-Span Crow) creating the Yata Eagle.
Yata Eagle will guide us in making great wine, making new friends, and finding out more about each other. Let friendships grow. Let freedom reign. Let the wine out of the bottle. Let the bird out of the cage1,2. Let us give you wine.
Richard, S.
As a formally trained enologist and winemaker, I am increasingly interested in the critical intersection of viticulture and climate change, studying how both grapevines and humans adapt to environmental challenges. My desire is to understand the complex effects of heat and water stress on wine production. I'm passionate about the millenia-old winemaking tradition, and I embrace the opportunity to innovate sustainable practices that will help winemakers navigate an evolving climate while continuing to produce exceptional wines.
Philosophy: Animals have long been observed preferentially eating fermenting fruit and humans are no exception. Fortunately for the animal kindom, plants harness the power of the sun to produce sugars that are fermented to alcohol by our unseen friends, yeast. Winemakers are nothing more than the slightly-sloshed shepherds of this process. Those who are drawn to this devotion are members of the human condition who get a kick out of sweating profusely, playing botanist, and most likely have an overgrown sense of romanticism (and ego). This is a fitting self-description.
Max, H.
Winemaking serves a different purpose to me than what wine serves. Though I have great vision for what wine can be, the dream is marred by the environment it is commodified in. Issues like labor, international tariffs, environmental damages, wage inequality, Neo-liberal policies all impact the wines we consume. I strive to afford the freedom to consume wine and to make wine in peace, but I believe I cannot do so until the conditions are right. Until then, my friend Richard and I will struggle together to lay the foundation with out own wine brand in which we can all inspire a change together.
- West, Kanye. “Waves”. The Life of Pablo, GOOD Music and Def Jam, 2016, track 10
- Angelou, Maya. “Caged Bird”. Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing?. Random House, 2013
