Justin Meyer
| Justin Meyer | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Raymond Meyer 11 November 1938 Bakersfield, California, USA |
| Died | 6 August 2002 (aged 63) Sierra Nevada, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Vintner and enologist |
| Known for | Co-founding Silver Oak Cellars His vast expertise in winemaking and being a major influence in the American Vineyard Foundation, which he presided in the 1990s. |
Justin Meyer (born Raymond Meyer, 11 November 1938 – 6 August 2002) was an American vintner, enologist, and monk of the Christian Brothers. He was the founder along with Ray Duncan of Silver Oak Cellars in 1972, a successful winery based in the Napa Valley and Alexander Valley. Today Duncan's sons David Duncan and Tim Duncan run Silver Oak Cellars, as well as Twomey Cellars, established in 1999. Meyer sold his share of the company to Duncan in 2001. One of California's top wine experts, he was President of the American Vineyard Foundation in the 1990s and also held numerous other positions in the wine industry. The San Francisco Chronicle cites Meyer as "one of the legends of the Napa Valley".
Meyer was born Raymond Meyer on 11 November 1938 in Bakersfield, California. Just out of high school, he became a monk of the Christian Brothers, and changed his first name to Justin. He taught Spanish at a Christian Brothers high school in Sacramento and in 1964 was apprenticed to winemaker Brother Timothy at their winery, Greystone Cellars, in St. Helena, California in the Napa Valley. At one point the Christian Brothers ran 6 wineries and were the largest brandy producers in the world according to Meyer.
He left the Christian Brothers in 1972, and became president of V&E Consulting and Management Company. That year, Meyer met Colorado entrepreneur Ray Duncan who had purchased a 750 acre plot of land in the Napa Valley of northern California, which was formerly the Oakville Dairy farm, as an investment in growing and selling grapes. Meyer, a winemaker who was a monk of the Christian Brothers religious order, formed an agreement, with Duncan, setting up a winery on the Christian Brother's site in St. Helena. Meyer would provide his winemaking, cultivation and Californian market expertise while Duncan provided the financial backing.
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