Owner and winemaker Graham Tatomer has been working at a winery in his hometown of Santa Barbara since he was just 16 years old, and was fascinated by the old Riesling vines at Lafond Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills, the oldest in California. All wines made in California's cool climate are light, rich in flavor nuances, and characterized by a firm acidity. The most representative variety of this style is Riesling. Riesling is a unique white grape variety that conveys the individuality of the soil in which the grapes grow, the charm, power, focus, and beauty of the variety itself, in the wine. In 2003, Graham, who was fascinated by Riesling, studied under Emmerich Knoll, one of Austria's leading dry Riesling producers, and experienced four harvests to cultivate his know-how of aromatic varieties. The Knoll family became like a second family to Graham, and he learned about the charm of Grüner Veltliner, a grape variety native to Austria. After returning to the United States in 2008, he established his own winery, Tatomer, and later began cultivating Grüner Veltliner, starting with the release of two single-vineyard Rieslings. Tatomer's upper-class wines are released in a "very dry" style, rather than the "slightly dry" style currently available on the market. Steinhügel, released in 2017, is brewed in an approachable "dry" style as an entry-level wine. The rich acidity of the grapes is felt in the wine, so it is delicious to drink as is immediately after release, but it is also a wine that can withstand long-term aging as well as pairing with food. The winery's annual production is only 2,000 cases. Graham was featured in the American national newspaper San Francisco Chronicle in 2014 as "the producer to watch right now," and is said to be a pioneer of aromatic varieties in California, second only to him.