Grower Spotlight: El Retono Vineyards
Photo Credit: Karen Pavone
Walking the rows of Sauvignon Blanc vines on a cloudy spring afternoon at El Retono Vineyards, it’s easy to see why Rosa Segura chose to follow her heart’s calling in Lake County, California. Bud break is underway, and the vineyard is waking up from winter dormancy, splashed with vibrant yellow wild mustard in bloom. It’s a landscape she never tires of, even through the ups and downs of growing winegrapes.
Rosa grew up in Napa County wine country. She immigrated to Saint Helena at the age of nine, where her father supported their family as a farmworker.
Like many who find their way into the wine business, Rosa’s path was circuitous. After graduating high school, she worked in banking, then took her financial prowess to task as the tasting room manager at a large winery in Saint Helena.
“It was very challenging,” she remembers. “There was a lot of competition for the job, and people wondered why I got the position as a newbie with no wine knowledge. I think the owners liked my financial background more than my lack of experience,” she added.
She liked the prestigious position but found she missed the one-on-one interaction she enjoyed in banking, so when Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, she started moonlighting for an organization that was helping local farmworkers complete their immigration applications.
Working both jobs and still living at her mother’s home, she yearned for more independence and decided to leave the security of family to start a life on her own.
“A lot of people told me I was crazy to leave my family, but here I am!” she says proudly. As the only girl, and the first of her four siblings to leave home, her decision went against the cultural expectations of her upbringing. “I needed room to grow, and moving out was a big change for me…and for them. It was hard and very painful,” she says, “but looking back, I have no regrets.” After several years of building her own life, she eventually returned to her family, bringing with her a stronger sense of self and newfound perspective.
She married her husband later that year, and they began looking at properties “over the hill” in Lake County, where real estate was a more affordable investment. When they saw the twenty-acre plot they would eventually purchase in 1999, Rosa knew they had found what they were looking for.
“There was a well, and there were cows all over the place,” she remembers of the original pastureland, noting the grazing livestock had left the soil well fertilized.
“We did our homework before we planted,” she says. They wanted to know which varietal would best thrive at their location on the flat, ancient lakebed of the Big Valley AVA. “We took core soil samples and had them tested.”
The combination of clay, loam, and sand on her property was perfect for Sauvignon Blanc. “The soil holds onto the nutrients really well, and it holds water well too—so we don’t have to water as much in rainy years.”
And although Lake County summers can be very warm, air flowing down from the surrounding higher elevations makes this AVA one of the coolest in Lake County—another plus for growing Sauvignon Blanc.
Three years later, in 2002, they planted sixteen acres with SB01 Clone on St. George rootstock. They also decided to plant the rows at an angle to take advantage of the “diagonal shift.” Doing so creates a leaf canopy that shades the grapes from the intense rays of the sun and reduces heat stress.
“Choosing Sauvignon Blanc was a good decision,” she says, noting the long-held popularity of this grape and its predictable salability. They also added a few rows of Sauvignon Musqué grapes, which have a flavor profile she likes for blending.
With no formal education in viticulture or prior growing experience, having a seasoned vineyard manager on board from the start proved critical to the vineyard’s success. Luckily, they found Jose Arias, who has been with the family for over two decades. “He’s the greatest!” says Rosa.
Although she and her husband eventually parted ways in 2016, Rosa continued to put her heart and soul into the vineyard, along with their three children: Enrique, Rubie, and Horacio.
“My son Horacio has a degree in viticulture and enology from Fresno State,” she says proudly, “and my daughter, Rubie, works for a small boutique winery, where she’s constantly using her inquisitive nature to learn.”
In fact, it was her children who first introduced her to the idea of regenerative farming. “We started planting cover crops, and we use very minimal pesticides and herbicides,” she says. “We’re trying to be as natural as possible. If we treat these old vines well, they’ll be our friends forever.”
As the vines at El Retono Vineyard continue to thrive, so too does Rosa Segura’s legacy – rooted in resilience, nurtured by family, and guided by a deep respect for the land. From a childhood spent watching her father work the fields to becoming a vineyard owner and steward herself, Rosa’s journey reflects the quiet strength and determination that defines so many stories in California wine country. Today, with the next generation at her side and regenerative practices shaping her future, Rosa walks her rows not just as a grower, but as a guardian of something much greater – an enduring love for the land and the life it sustains.
Photo Credit: Karen Pavone