About Us
DAWNA DARJEAN JONES | OWNER-VINTNER-WINEMAKER
Darjean Jones award winning wines are spirited, adventurous and possess a charisma that will seduce wine lovers of all kinds. We are a small family owned winery specializing in boutique wines from California’s most acclaimed growing regions. The objective at Darjean Jones is to produce wine that imbibes the essence of the quintessential California vintage with a uniqueness of character only achieved through artisanal winemaking. Our boutique wines are produced in small lots with epic intention… “joie de vivre,” joy of living!
As a Louisiana native and first generation African-American winemaker, the love of good food and drink is coded in my DNA. It is as much a part of my winemaking journey as my early experiences in Napa Valley as a plant pathologist working on diseases of wine grapes. Experiencing Napa Valley first as a research scientist helped to formulate my deep respect and appreciation for vineyards and the abundant wealth of grape varieties sown on those diverse soils. Although my focus in the early years was on the plant diseases that affected wine grapes, I later developed a new kinship with winemaking. This adventure in winemaking was born of my personal quest for true “joie de vivre,” joy of living! I sourced grapes for my first vintage, a Napa Valley Merlot, in 2010. Darjean Jones Wines is the culmination of an enduring affair with wine, fermentation science and the microbes responsible for the magic.
The support and fearless encouragement of my husband, Chauncey, completes my circle. Our journey has taken us from south Louisiana to Maryland, California and Texas. The best odysseys in life involve seemingly purposeful wandering to a most unexpected and glorious destination.
At some point, if we are lucky, we allow our moments in life to merge equaling the entirety of who we are. Let Darjean Jones Wines become a moment in your life.
Cheers! Salud!
Dawna Darjean Jones, Ph.D.
University of California, Davis, Ph.D., Plant Pathology
Southern University and A&M College, B.S., Plant Science
PATRICK SABOE | CONSULTING WINEMAKER
In 1996, Patrick Saboe was reshaping the Charleston, SC restaurant scene when a honeymoon to California’s wine country changed his life. What initially began as an excuse to celebrate the nuptials while enjoying a glass, transformed into a spiritual journey in pursuit of the perfect fermentation. Toward this end, Patrick traded the kitchen for textbooks when he enrolled in the Enology & Viticulture program at U.C. Davis. Over the past decade, Patrick’s professional winemaking experience includes overseeing production at Verismo, Keller Estate, Petroni and Pezzi King. When not contemplating fermentation temperatures and yeast strains, Patrick enjoys tending the garden and sharing stories over the dinner table with his wife and three children.