TWO BRANDS, ONE COMMITMENT 

“Great wines start with attention to detail in vineyards expressing a silent covenant between their climate and soils.” — Founder, Robert Jones

Proving that “timing is everything,” a chance meeting between founder Robert Jones and winemaker Daniel Moore has evolved into the winemaking philosophy of E16 and Firefall. The pair became acquainted in the early 1990s when Robert visited the Russian River Valley to study cool-climate pinot noir and chardonnay from small producers.

Daniel was already an established voice in a region of celebrated vintners. In 1983, he journeyed there to follow his calling for making handcrafted wines and quickly became one of its earliest champions as the founding winemaker of two highly regarded pinot noir producers — Martinelli Winery and Lynmar Estate.

Robert and Daniel, inspired by their shared values, sought likeminded grape growers to establish a wine program highlighting sustainable vineyards and Moore’s gift for making exceptional pinot noir and chardonnay.

As the E16 brand gained favor among wine critics, the pair focused on making Rhone varietal wines for Robert’s Firefall label from the El Dorado County estate he had purchased earlier. With cool nights resulting from elevations of 2400 feet, the property’s Baby Rattlesnake Vineyard is ideal for growing Rhone grapes that receive the same degree of care and consideration as the fruit in the E16 program.

Today, Daniel continues to oversee vineyard operations for both brands, including a year-round collaboration with grape growers providing exceptional fruit for E16. Each seasonal decision, from winter pruning and spring shoot positioning to summer cluster thinning and fall harvest, has a profound effect on wine quality and ageability.

This attention to detail continues in the cellar where even the smallest decision can have a great impact. Daniel’s 30-plus years of success confirm his belief that handling grapes with the lightest possible touch is the only way to capture the full expression of a grape’s persona.

The combined efforts of Robert and Daniel are manifested in the creation of two separate programs, E16 and Firefall, with a common goal of making wines that express a sense of place, longstanding partnerships with growers, and distinction in the bottle.