The Titus brothers, Phillip and Eric.
From a young age, Eric worked in the family vineyard in Napa Valley with his brothers and father and continued the tradition until he left for college to earn his doctorate degree in Biology where he was drawn to the dynamics of marine science and toxicology. Following this path, he worked around the world as a researcher and an envi- ronmental consultant throughout the 1990’s.
In 1997 he returned to St. Helena to help with the harvest at Titus Vineyards. The family business was growing, and Eric decided to devote himself to return to the winery full time in 2002 to help with management of the burgeoning family business. Today he is General Manager and Vineyard Operations Manager of the winery.
In the vineyard, Eric has adopted green practices that support sustainable farming. His aim is to farm with tech- niques that ensure minimum impact on the local environment. Eric’s goal is to have as light a footprint as possible in the vineyard. Nearly all vineyard work is done by hand; row by row. He collaborates with Winemaker brother Phillip to ensure that vineyard practices deliver expressive and focused fruit from their two estate vineyards. An estate-based winery allows for harvesting each row at the right moment for each wine.
Eric has served as President of the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association and is active with both the St. Helena Viticultural Society and Appellation St. Helena. He is committed to preserving agricultural land and the local ecosys- tem in Napa Valley. Eric works along with the local viticultural community to promote the Napa Valley as a world- class winegrowing region.
From the age of 12, Phillip took an interest in viticulture and worked with his father and brothers in the family vine- yards in Napa Valley. His introduction to fine wine was at the family dinner table when his father shared Bordeaux, California Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel from his cellar. Many of these formative wines were intriguing varietal and field blends.
In college, Phillip studied agronomy, viticulture and enology at the University of California at Davis. He also traveled to Burgundy and Bordeaux to gain more exposure to great European wines. After graduation, he began his career working at Quail Ridge Winery, Stratford and Chappellet. In 1990 he was named Winemaker at Chappellet and continues to make the wines there today. That same year he also became Winemaker at his family’s Titus Vineyards.
Phillip focuses on harvesting the grapes at optimal maturity, whereby showcasing the unique characteristics of each lot and vineyard block. His intimate knowledge of the two-family estate vineyards since childhood helps him to guide the creation of superior wine from the individual blocks. His wide-ranging experience with exceptional vine- yard sites large and small across Napa Valley inspires his acute blending sensibilities. Phillip’s focused winemaking direction for each lot brings out dynamic flavor profiles, textural balance, and complexity in the distinctive Titus Vineyard wines.