Meet the Family

Ryan Waugh - Winemaker

It's been said that there are two ingredients in the making of wine, grapes and the winemaker. While Waugh Cellars surely has the first, the wine would be nothing without the second. However, calling Ryan Waugh simply a winemaker would not do justice to all the work he does. Better to call him a brand ambassador.

At just 33, with nine vintages already behind him, Ryan is one of the youngest winemakers working in Napa and Sonoma. Born and raised in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, he graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in Biology and minors in Marketing and Environmental Studies. While at Santa Clara, a friend's father shared a special bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, which sparked an intense passion for wine and inspired the idea to start his own winery.

That inspiration led him to find a wine job, any wine job close to school. He found it at Savannah Chanelle winery in the Santa Cruz mountains, where he began working with Michael McNeill. Under Michael's guidance, Ryan learned that winemaking begins in the vineyard, showing great care to the vines during the growing season. This allows for minimal interaction once the wine gets to barrel, creating wines that are true representations of their varietal and exhibiting unique flavors and great structural depth.

In 2001 he founded Waugh Cellars, which now produces 3000 cases of award winning wine annually: a Russian River Chardonnay, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and a Zinfandel from the Dry Creek region of Sonoma.

Smaller quantities of Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah and Riesling are also produced, sold exclusively through the Friends of Waugh Cellars - an allocation based wine club.

A second wine brand, Six Degrees, was released in 2008 with new vintages arriving via an allocation only mailing list each January.

When not in the vineyard, Ryan spends most of his time on the road, hosting public and private wine tastings and dinners at some of the finest restaurants in the country. It is here that he spends times with customers and shares his experiences in winemaking and the unique joys found in sharing a glass with those closest to you.

Crystal Waugh - Director of Sales 

After attending Texas A&M with a degree in Marketing and Business Administration, Crystal entered the executive training program at Neiman Marcus, located in Dallas, Texas.

She quickly moved up the ladder and was eventually promoted to Head of the college recruiting program. At the end of her 12 years with Neiman Marcus, she was managing the careers of 500 employees. Since 2005, Crystal has played an invaluable role in the success of Waugh Cellars and Six Degrees, coordinating all private tastings for the wineries as well as managing the Friends of Waugh Cellars wine club and the yearly allocation release of Six Degrees.

Jordan & Carter Waugh - Future Winemakers