Baywood Cellars exemplifies the Cotta family's three-quarter century commitment to quality and success. Cotta Properties was founded in 1925 by Joe Cotta Sr., and after many successful years of growing wine grapes and other agricultural commodities the John and James Cotta (Grandsons of Joe Sr.) started producing wine under their Las Viñas label in 1986. With John Cotta as winemaker and James Cotta as vineyard manager, Las Viñas immediately won awards in all of the top national and international competitions including "Best of Region "wines of the Lodi-Woodbridge region an unprecedented three years in a row in the 1988, '89 and '90 California State Fair wine competitions.

Awards

In pursuit of higher quality and perfection, John and James started vinifying grapes from the family's own central coast vineyards under the "Vineyard Select" Baywood label, and the highest quality Methode Champenoise sparkling wines under the Las Viñas label from the Napa Valley, which in turn immediately won awards in the major wine competition circuits. Seeing the potential of the Central Coast as being", comparable if not superior to the Napa and Sonoma growing regions" John has focused his wine making talents and efforts on producing only ultra-premium wines from Monterey County and the Central Coast.

Winemaking

President and wine maker, John Cotta has over 20 years experience producing wine in all of California's major viticulture regions. His vast knowledge, combined with the most up-to-date wine-making technology available such as Krones filler-corker machines and MEB rotary star labeling equipment, gives Baywood Cellars the bottling capacity of up to 150 bottles per minute. With temperature controlled stainless steel tanks and French Oak cooperage Baywood can produce and store more than 300,000 cases annually. Using state-of-the-art equipment and time-tested old-world techniques, John has been able to produce wines rated among the finest in the world.

The Family

John and James Cotta, with the help of their father Joe Cotta Jr., currently farms over 2,000 acres of Varietal wine grapes throughout California, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Symphony and the traditional Douro region Port varieties. The family commitment to viticulture spans over three generations which includes state-of-the-art drip irrigation, trellising, integrated pest management and soil fertility programs. This provides consistent, high quality crops year after year.