Settling in the
California Wine Country
DE LA CRUZ MEZA FAMILY
Salvador De La Cruz came to the United States for the first time in 1976 from Jalisco Mexico in search for a better life. He started working in the vineyards for table grapes in Reedley, California and eventually worked his way up to Sonoma.
Since the first moment he arrived in Sonoma he felt in love with the area and decided to stay since the working conditions were better than in the central valley. He started working at Haywood Vineyards full time and began to learn everything about grape growing for wine.
In 1989 Salvador De La Cruz Jimenez got married in Mexico and had two kids in the early 90s. Throughout the 90s, Salvador would spend half of the time between Sonoma and Mexico due to the fact that his wife and kids were still living in Jalisco. In January of 2000 Salvador De La Cruz Jimenez decided to move his whole family to Sonoma to provide them better opportunities. The De La Cruz Meza family resides in the Sonoma Valley to this day.
Salvador Sr and Salvador Jr
harvest 2000
Passing Down
The Knowledge
DE LA CRUZ MEZA FAMILY
SECOND GENERATION
Salvador De La Cruz Jr. career in the wine industry started at the ripe young age of nine when he came to the United States in 2000 from Mexico and became a vineyard worker under the wing of his father Salvador De La Cruz.
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Over the years of working in the vineyards with his dad and never missing a harvest since the day he arrives in the states, Salvador Jr. developed a passion for the grape growing process. Working along side his father and other workers Salvador Jr. picked up a work ethic that has shaped his passion for winemaking today.
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At the age of 20 Salvador De La Cruz Jr. decided to discontinue working with his father and take the next step in his career by working in a cellar to learn more about the industry. This is when he began to learn all the tangible, hands on functions of winemaking.
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Salvador De La Cruz Jr. attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he recieved a Bachelors degree in Viticulture and Enology and became the first person in his family to attend college. After earning a degree from Cal Poly Salvador has worked in renowned wineries in Sonoma, Napa, New Zealand and Australia.
Salvador De La Cruz
Left
Salvador De La Cruz Jr.
Right