Bruce Devlin

Winemaker, Ballentine Vineyards

Bruce Devlin was born in San Jose, California, but his birth certificate might as well have been a passport. Bruce's first real experience with wine and winemaking was in 1994, when he went to Germany with a student work-internship program. He spent three months working in the Pfalz at Weingut Reichsrat von Buhl. After returning to the US, he obtained a degree from the University of California, Davis, in Fermentation Science. While at Davis, Bruce worked part-time for Lagier-Meredith. He worked directly with the owner to establish and maintain an ultra-premium Mt. Veeder Syrah program. Outside of studies he managed a virus-research vineyard on the campus at U.C. Davis, and conducted studies that were eventually published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture.

After graduating in 1997, Bruce worked in Sonoma County at Geyser Peak Winery. He decided to gain experience with an international perspective, and get some traveling under his belt. He spent the 1998 Southern Hemisphere harvest working for Boschendal Wine Estates in South Africa, and the Northern Hemisphere harvest working for Weingut Louis Guntrum in Rheinhessen, Germany. The 1999 vintage was spent working for Tatachilla Winery in McLaren Vale, South Australia.

Bruce returned to the US in the summer of 1999 and began working for Ballentine Vineyards, to which he brings international insight and techniques. His background brings both Old-World and New-World style to handcraft wines specific to each variety and vineyard site.

Country born: United States

Education: Degree from the University of California at Davis in Fermentation Science

Years in the wine industry: 10-15 years

Winemaking Philosophy:
To emphasize the expressions of the land