The state’s next-gen vintners have more ingenuity than money, and they’re changing California wine for the better.

Miguel Lepe, 33, is just as dedicated to his appellation. Monterey’s first Mexican-American winemaker, he started Lepe Cellars in 2015 after working in wineries all over the state and in Chile. “From what I’ve seen, it all starts in the vineyard,” he says. “My parents worked in the fields. We gardened at home. You plant something, it’s going to be healthy as long as you take care of it properly.” Organic Zinfandel on its own rootstock, naturally fermented with just a touch of new oak; crisp, neutral-barrel Chardonnay—“I want to show that Monterey has potential for low-intervention, boutique wines.”

Lepe’s identity encourages new wine lovers. “I have a lot of Hispanic clientele. Traditionally we weren’t into wine, but when I tell my story of starting with nothing, they get excited.”

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