Graton Rancheria, Southern Pomo land - Healdsburg, California

www.tessierwinery.com, @tessierwinery

With a background in microbiology, Kristie is fascinated by the cycle of life; each vintage of Tessier wines captures and reflects one year in the lives of the vineyards she works with. She sources high-quality fruit from a strong network of farmers in the Anderson Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains, Arroyo Seco, and El Dorado foothills. She then uses minimal-interventionist winemaking techniques to showcase the unique characteristics of the grapes and the vineyards. For Kristie, sustainability is a priority — not only with the vineyards’ farming practices, but also by having long-term relationships with her growers and customers. These small production wines, an annual production of 1400 cases, get unparalleled attention.

Social Justice and Environmental Restoration Statement

Tessier Winery is operated by myself and my partner, Chandran. We have no other employees. 

In 2020 and 2021 we donated to BIPOC charities at the end of the year, but in 2022 we were too far in the negative. Eventually, we intend to do this as our business stabilizes. Tessier brings forward BIPOC artists to pay tribute to them on our wine labels, currently we have Jimi Hendrix and in the Fall we will add Aretha Franklin. All of Tessier wines are paired with a song to give the wine a personality and create an experience. The selection of music is diverse and includes many BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists, which encourages the consumers to listen to more of these artists. 

Tessier's new releases were featured with Decant SF, a women owned wine shop. Together we did a presentation titled The Science of Natural Wine where we talked with a group from the local, diverse, Folsom St community about natural wine and what it means to me, which includes community and inclusion for everyone. 

In 2022 I started to volunteer my time with KXSF community radio. I'm part of the Supper Sessions collective and do a monthly spot on the radio where I play a large representation on BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists and also interview members of the wine/food community. KXSF also promotes BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists when doing fundraisers and gives their voices a platform.