About the Winemaker—David Sartain

David was introduced to the wine industry at an early age by way of a family business that provided fresh fruit hauling for local vineyards. This exposure planted a seed early on that flowered upon the completion of his military service and travels abroad. When returning to his home in the Santa Maria Valley, David studied at Allen Hancock College focusing on Viticulture and Oenology.

In 2001, David started his career at small winery on the Foxen Canyon Trail in Santa Barbara County. “This experience opened my eyes to how important it is to have balance amongst the vines”, says David “it showed me that the first step to making great wine starts in the vineyard”.

Eager to pursue this passion further, David accepted an opportunity to manage a multifaceted winery in Paso Robles that hosts small wineries focusing on premium wine production. This position presented David with the opportunity to gain invaluable exposure to a wide range of varietals, appellations and winemaking styles.

David continues to focus on his growth as a winemaker by traveling to diverse wine growing regions both domestic and abroad. With forethought and planning, David uses these experiences through creativity during the fermentation and aging process of winemaking.

“Working along the side of many talented winemakers throughout the years has taught me the importance of knowing the fruit your working with, what it is capable of and designing a winemaking style that will produce the best wine from your fruit. This mindset has helped me develop a style of making wine that is site expressive and is only tailored by the vineyard.” — David L. Sartain

If you would like to place an order for our estate grown wine, please contact us at seashellcellars@gmail.com.