THE DIG ON LUCKY ROCK WINE CO.

BROTHERS AARON + JESSE INMAN grew up a little differently than your average kids in America; no Father Knows Best household. They were raised “on the river” in Northern California by gold-mining parents – yep, prospectors – whilst living in a bus that hopped from mining claim to mining claim. This is, of course, the short and sweet version. Needless to say, such an upbringing creates a different perspective on life and life’s challenges … and making wine. For most miners back then prospecting was about the lifestyle, not the gold or silver. For Aaron and Jesse, winemaking is about people drinking and enjoying their wines, not the terroir, the clones, or expensive French oak barrels.

Both Aaron and Jesse got their chops by serving wine – working in tasting rooms, tending bar, and being face-to-face with people enjoying wine rather than just tasting and evaluating it. Both ended up working for their uncle at August Briggs Winery in Napa Valley, learning the ropes of the industry. Each ultimately took their own path: Jesse into winemaking, and Aaron into winery business development. They both do the marketing and sales.

Aaron and Jesse began their prospecting together in the wine industry with Romililly Pinot Noir, which debuted to good acclaim. But their preferences for less pretension soon led them to launch Pinot Patch, an affordable pinot noir for people that just like good wine without having to study for a Master of Wine test.

But – Pinot Patch. One grape in the name. Really limiting. And it really didn’t capture the Inman Bros. gestalt. Hence, Lucky Rock Wine Co., named after one of the more memorable mines they grew up at. The label reflects that unpretentiousness, their childhood, and their appreciation of the fine art of the tattoo. The wine inside is delicious – no other words necessary. It keeps the simplicity, affordability, and honesty of Pinot Patch, but captures more of them in the bottle: their alt-upbringing, their mining for the “gold” in wine, and their determination not to get sucked into an old, stuffy wine scene. Now nearly two decades into their collaboration, the brothers have the skill, the best vineyards, and their perspective instilled into LUCKY ROCK WINE CO.