KENNETH JUHASZ, Consulting Winemaker
Kenneth Juhasz (YOU haas) began his winemaking career dragging hoses in a cold cellar in Oregon. His interest in enology had grown as he worked his way through school in fine restaurants and the local wine shop in his native North Carolina. After college, Kenneth eagerly pursued his passion for Pinot Noir west to the Willamette Valley, where he began working with winemaker Ken Bernards. Over the next few years, Bernards became Kenneth’s mentor. When Juhasz came to Carneros in 2002, Bernards helped him create a fresh identity for the Robert Stemmler label. Kenneth was appointed winemaker in 2005.

Committed to working tirelessly through each harvest and to obtaining maximum quality in the vineyards with wine grower Anne Moller-Racke, Kenneth has succeeded in creating wines of power and elegance that are true expressions of site.

While enhancing his knowledge with forays to Oregon and the South Island of New Zealand, where he spearheaded a start-up Pinot Noir operation at Hinton Estate, Kenneth remains dedicated to producing outstanding wines from Robert Stemmler’s estate vineyards in the Carneros and Russian River Valley appellations.

ANNE MOLLER-RACKE, Wine Grower
A native of Oberwesel, Germany, Anne Moller-Racke came to California in 1981 and became vineyard manager for Buena Vista Carneros Winery in 1983. She was named director of vineyard operations in 1988 and was promoted to vice president of vineyard operations in 1997.  During that time, Anne worked intensively with some of the industry’s foremost authorities, including Andre Tchelistcheff, Dr. Phil Freese and Dr. Paul Skinner.  She helped establish what is now the Carneros Wine Alliance and brought recognition to Carneros as an American Viticultural Area (AVA).

Anne was instrumental in developing Buena Vista’s Carneros Estate, now the appellation’s largest vineyard, expanding the planted acreage from 540 in 1981 to 935 a decade later, and supplying fruit to premier producers like Acacia, Etude and Sterling. In the 1990s, she also replanted over 500 acres, carefully innovating viticultural practices and selecting rootstocks, clones, trellising and irrigation techniques for each vineyard block. When Allied Domecq purchased Buena Vista in 2001, the Racke family retained Tula Vista Ranch, now The Donum Estate. Today, Anne farms 70 acres of Donum Estate vines, 20 acres of the venerable Ferguson Block in Carneros, and the Nugent Vineyard, an 11-acre Russian River Valley estate which she planted in the mid-1990s.

The caretaker of vineyards she has farmed for decades, Anne brings a vast knowledge of both viticulture and site to her role as wine grower for Robert Stemmler and its sister label, Donum. As president of The Donum Estate, Anne’s management style inspires a committed team to work with the utmost pride and care

LAURO SERVIN , Vineyard Forman
Lauro grew up in Zamora in the state of Michoacan, Mexico, and came to the United States in 1987. He joined his brother, Francisco Servin, at Peter Nissen's vineyard management company. Ironically, Lauro's first job in the U.S. was helping replant what was then the Tula Vista Vineyard, known today as the Donum Ranch. Overseeing the replanting was none other than Anne Moller-Racke, then director of vineyard operations for Buena Vista Winery. 

Lauro worked for Nissen for 11 years, then joined Francisco's vineyard management company for another decade. Former Donum vineyard manager Nabor Camarena approached Lauro about a position as Nabor's replacement. "I said, yes, I certainly know the ranch!" Lauro says. Returning to the vineyard has brought back lots of memories, he says, including when the roof of the old milk barn (now converted into winery offices) blew off and landed in the driveway. Lauro asserts that he learns something new every day now, and he finds the greatest differences in 20 years are equipment improvements, new vine spacings, trellising techniques and plant materials, and an intense focus on details to enhance quality.

ROBERT STEMMLER, Founder
Robert Stemmler’s passion for winemaking spans over 40 years. A native of Germany, he completed his formal education in winemaking and viticulture at Bad Kreuznach Wine College. In 1961, he accepted a winemaking position at Charles Krug, one of Napa Valley’s most prominent wineries. He quickly earned a reputation as one of California’s leading winemakers, and that recognition lead him to other renowned wineries including Inglenook Vineyards in Napa Valley and Simi Winery in Sonoma County.

In 1976, he opened his own winery in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley.  In 1982, after securing high quality fruit from a Russian River Valley vineyard, he was able to concentrate on his true passion, Pinot Noir. His first release of the wine that would be most identified with him brought him immediate and widespread acclaim.

Robert retired from full-time winemaking in 1989.