Aptos Vineyard was established in 1974 by the Marlo family in Aptos, CA. Judge John and Patti Marlo noticed that a portion of their Aptos property looked like it was a vineyard so they thought Why not? And dove into the growing grapes with enthusiasm.
Tending to the vineyard and harvesting grapes was a family affair, yielding precious memories for the Marlo family. While a source of joy for the Marlo’s the vineyard was also a lot of work. After a slow start to yield enough grapes to become wine, they enlisted the help of various winemakers to craft the original Aptos Vineyard Pinot Noir and then eventually Chardonnay. They enjoyed decades of bountiful fruit yielded on their property and soon the label became a source of joy and family connection.
Sadly, when John fell sick in the mid 2000s, the vineyard lost its spark and the wine label fell dormant for many years. After John’s passing, close friend James Baker and his family purchased the wine label and sought to revive the family owned wine label. The label is now operated by the Baker Family.
To ensure success, they enlisted the expertise of John Benedetti of Sante Arcangeli Wines. With grapes grown and harvested in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Aptos Vineyard will reemerge in 2020 as a family label, revitalized to encompass the Santa Cruz Mountains and Aptos community in one bottle—a 2018 Pinot Noir Opening Remarks.
