Bob Schiebelhut

Principal

Bob Schiebelhut was raised in the foothills outside of Fresno, “All my relatives grew grapes; some went to raisins and some went to wine.” His grandfather even made wine, “especially during Prohibition.” Unfortunately, none remained for him to taste. He adds that he “always wanted to have a vineyard and be a lawyer.”

The law came first. Schiebelhut received his JD at UC Berkeley, where he had also completed a BA in history. After founding a business law firm in San Luis Obispo in 1978, he decided “the Edna Valley was where I wanted to have my vineyard. The beauty overwhelmed me. It was perfect….”

His friend and mentor, Romeo Zuech of Piedra Creek Winery, inspired him to become a winemaker.  He once said to Schiebelhut “you will never know how to grow good grapes unless you know how to make good wine.” He also told Schiebelhut he needed to work with him for a year to become a good winemaker. That’s what he did and the first wine he made, a 1988 Pinot Noir, changed Schiebelhut’s life. “It really did have those rose petal aromatics you read about. And when you make it yourself it’s pretty thrilling.” He went onto to produce a 1990 Chardonnay and a 1989 Zinfandel, which both won Best of Fair in competitions at the Midstate Fair  in Paso Robles.

His driving interest to make wine led Schiebelhut to create the Tolosa brand, which is named after the mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. The wines are produced from the top 10 percent of grapes grown in Tolosa’s 720-acre vineyards.  Schiebelhut made Tolosa’s first vintage in 1998, and his 1999 Tolosa Pinot Noir was named the best Pinot Noir in California at the State Fair in Sacramento. Knowing that the Tolosa grapes are truly exceptional, Schiebelhut in 2000 turned over Tolosa’s winemaking duties to “real winemakers” who “immediately made improvements!” At the same time, Tolosa has remained true to it original vision: to make wine that honors the true characteristics of each varietal.