Budge Brown, Founder & Owner

Budge Brown has been farming in California for over 50 years. When asked about his educational background (although he is a UC Davis graduate) he will smile and tell you he graduated from the School of Hard Knocks with a degree in Trial and Error and an emphasis in Blood, Sweat and Tears. His dream was to own a winery and share the experience with his family, his daughter, Kristi, took him up on his offer.

Budge has taken on a new project over the last three years, his launch of Cleavage Creek Cellars and the building of the new home for this brand on his Pope Valley Vineyard. Find out more about his new brand and how he is giving back 10% off the top of his sales to breast cancer research. Find the link to Cleavage creek at the top of the pages of this site.

Kristi Brown, Owner & El Presidente

After graduating from UC Santa Barbara in 1990, I worked for several different companies mainly in the finance and marketing arenas. Having a bit of a Gypsy soul, I moved around a fair bit and finally landed in Palm Springs in 2000. At that time, my father was launching his new brand and needed someone to market his new Tulip Hill wines; I jumped on board and opened our offsite winery tasting room in Rancho Mirage.

Over the course of the last 9 years my role has expanded to overseeing the total BIG picture of our production, brand marketing, national sales and "other duties as needed." I wouldn't have it any other way. I am honored to be working with such an incredible team of people. My time is spent between the winery in Nice and my home in Palm Springs. I also do a fair amount of traveling throughout the country working with our distributor network selling our wines.

Loretta Byrne, Chief Operations Officer

When I bought a house and needed a real job, I was lucky enough to fall into the wine business at Gabrielli Winery in Mendocino County in August of 1997. I worked there as an administrative assistant/compliance agent/tasting room manager/cellar worker/event coordinator/lab assistant/label designer/bookkeeper/etc until August of 2004.

After I moved to Lake County I worked briefly with Shannon Ridge Winery in Clearlake Oaks from 8/04 to 6/05. I consider myself very fortunate to have found my true home with Tulip Hill Winery since 2005 and am privileged to work with such amazing, talented and, let’s face it, funny people.

Mikael Gulyash, Winemaker

Mikael Gulyash - joined the Tulip Hill team in June of 2008. He comes to us with almost 30 years experience in the winemaking industry. Mikael started his career at Jordan Winery in Healdsburg, California back 1981 as a lab manager. He moved to B.R. Cohn in 1995 and finally to Grove Street Winery in 2001. He also consults for Peter Paul Wines and Zichichi Family Winery. Mike’s work numerous awards from Best of Class, State Fair, Savor, and the Los Angels Int'l Fair, gold medals at the Monterey Competition, the International Critics’ Challenge, and the Florida State Fair, to mention just few.

Mikael is very knowledgeable in the use and application of barrels. When asked how he gained such invaluable experience, he states that he worked with French trained winemakers and coopers, keeping copious notes every time he tasted.

"This let me connect the dots and ask intelligent questions of cause and effect regarding the coopering of the wood. Still important is to remember we are in California and the wines marry with the wood in manners that are a bit different than French wines, but the overall pattern of the characteristics of the wood, and the coopers’ influence will still be apparent. One of the more important things to remember is the industry norm to take wines to market sooner than past tradition hence the pairing of wood and wine is more critical here as the time frame to get or keep a balance is abbreviated.

The schools here can not teach this as the schools here do not have actual winemakers who have actually made a commercial wine. Fresno does have a bonded winery, and employs a winemaker, but the irony is the winemaker is not there in a teaching capacity. The other thing is it takes a long time to learn to see and appreciate how to use wood properly because it does take time to learn the cause and effect, so it would be difficult to teach this in the academic setting."

On a personal note, Mikael is fun and lighthearted person with an intense knowledge of the winemaking process. He is married with two daughters, and jokes that he has too many hobbies to pick and too many animals to count. He is a perfect fit into our motley crew.

Sara Hammond, Marketing, Design, Tech, & Wine Club Coordinator

I joined the Tulip Hill team with Kristi Brown in 2002. I had recently moved to Palm Springs after escaping the "Orange Curtain" where I was, what seemed to be, living in a gray cubicle for a large print and design company. I had moved up the food-chain to working in graphics & design freelance when Budge presented the opportunity to be a part of his winery project. Knowing Budge and Kristi, I jumped on the wine wagon without hesitation. I was fortunate enough to have the amazing experience of opening the retail tasting room in Rancho Mirage with Kristi and Tom under the guiding wisdom of Veronica Barclay. Now I have a few more job titles, and plenty to do to keep me out of trouble. Btw, I hope you enjoy the new website...if anything is not functioning, please email me and let me know. Thank you.

Bella-Dance-A-Rella is my cohort in crime...she works with me at the Palm Spring administrative office with Shanna and Kristi, and at the winery during September to experience a bit of harvest with our buttocks-kickn’ winery team.

Jason Burry, Shipping Dept. & Case Goods

I joined the winery team back on July 10th 2005. I worked for a local grocery store as a night shift manager after a brief one year stint in Eureka, CA working for a toy store in a mall.

I work in many different areas of the winery...I handle all of the shipping and receiving, ship out the wine clubs 4 times a year, help with the IT work around here, and when necessary help out with any of the wine making aspects of the winery and maintenance projects that Ron Grey has going on, work some of the events and keeping the case goods organized.... not an easy task when it involves dealing with thousands of cases of wine.

On a personal note, I prefer Major League Baseball, and I am a fan of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Oakland Athletics...but who isn't.

When I was 21 my brother-in-law and friend introduce me to local breweries. I fell in love with the rich flavors of the Belgian’s and the smoothness of a stout. Don't get me wrong, I love wine, but my first love will always be the brew.

Stephen Dilley, Assistant Winemaker

Stephen joined the Tulip Hill team in June of 2008. He comes to us fresh out of Fresno State University with a Special Study Certification in Enology (completed in May 2008). Stephen is a critical part of our winemaking team as our laboratory and sensory technician. "Wine is a perfect marriage of art and science, and one without the other will create a wine that is out of balance or flawed." Stephen keeps watch on every drop of wine that works its way from grape to bottle through our winery.

Stephen is our sensory technician for the winery as well, by providing wine sensory classes for our winery team members and the public.

"After several years in horticultural careers, ranging from owning and operating a greenhouse business to acting as the native plant specialist at an Environmental Center, I decided to combine my lifelong love of growing things with what had become my serious hobby, winemaking. Pursuing what I call "my last career", I returned to school in 2006 to study winemaking and grape growing. I feel as if this combination of passions, that nurtures both my green thumb and my creativity, really expresses who I am. My goal has always been to craft wines using the very best of the "old school" ways combined with the ingenuity wrought from current research. It is ultimately thrilling to take grapes and turn them into wine!"

"The Laboratory Technician position at Tulip Hill was an excellent starting point to launch my career and the environment here certainly encourages growth and learning. Harvest 2009 at Tulip Hill was my third harvest, and my first as Assistant Winemaker. Under the wing of our winemaker, Mikael Gulyash, I feel as though the experience I am receiving here is tremendous. This past year, with Mikael's mentoring style, has enabled me to use my education practically, acquire new essential skills, and to begin to formulate my own winemaking style."

"It is a consistently fascinating endeavor making wine! I feel extremely fortunate and grateful that life has afforded me this opportunity."

Crespin Espinoza, Cellar Foreman

Crespin has been with the winery since May of 2003, previously working at the Mt. Veeder property with Ron Grey and Alejandro Moldanado our Pope Valley Vineyard. At Tulip Hill, he manages the cellar which includes working closely with Mikael, Stephen, and Loretta to make sure that the myriad of winemaking needs are met...like crushing fruit, daily pump-overs, racking, filtering, blending and bottling our wines. This is just a glimpse of all the things that Crespin handles everyday!

In all his spare time, he grows and manages over 1.5 acres of his own personal garden consisting of tomatoes, many varietals of peppers, corn, pumpkins, and melons, as well as other fruits and vegetables. He is very generous and shares this fresh goodness with the team at the winery. Crespin is also known for his cooking ...amazing authentic salsas, meat dishes, and BBQ. You many wonder which of the Tulip Hill wines goes well with his spicy dishes...that would be beer.

Ron Grey, General Manager

I joined Tulip Hill before the first bottle was produced. After spending 20 years in the music business as a production manager, stage manager, and lighting design, I was introduced to Budge Brown by his son, Robert. I met Budge in Napa and jumped at the opportunity to work in the wine industry. Now I am the guy at Tulip Hill who keeps the winery and all the equipment functioning and makes sure that all the pieces are working together.

Mario Guzman, Head Groundskeeper & Landscaper Extraordinaire

Mario holds a warm place in our hearts. Not only is he the architect for our amazingly beautiful gardens, but in all our years together, no one has ever seen him without a smile on his handsome face. Mario has been with the winery since July of 2004 and every minute with him has been a joy. He came to the winery from our vineyards in Pope Valley, and still goes back there every year during harvest just to make sure the tractor is being driven the way it should be! Everyone who visits our winery is absolutely amazed that our gardens are planted (with a little help) and maintained by one man - that man is Mario. He does an outstanding job, and you can really tell the pride he puts into every flower. I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually sings to each and every bloom on our 6 acres of land. When Mario is not knee deep in flowers and soil, he loves to spend time with his wife and two daughters, visiting family in the Sacramento area.

Pancho Jimenez, Cellar Worker

Pancho (whose given name is really Francisco, but don’t tell him we told you!) has been a member of the winery team since February 2007. He spent some years previously working in Lake County grape vineyards, pear orchards and walnut orchards. If you’ve ever been to Lake County you know that the landscape transitions quite beautifully from vineyard to orchard to lake and back again! Not only is Pancho knowledgeable in vineyard and orchard maintenance and harvesting, but he has become quite adept at the winery on the crushing, racking, barreling, and wine maintenance side of things. Pancho is one of those cute guys who blushes easily and is always in good temper unless of course you happen to call him by his real name!

Patsy Mitchell, Tasting Room Accoc. & Outside Sales

Patsy has been with Tulip Hill since October 2008 and she is a great addition to the tasting room team - you can find her in our tasting room every Monday. She is an active volunteer and committee member with the Lake County Arts Council and the Main Street Gallery for the past four years. She was recently awarded "Supporter of the Arts" at the Stars of Lake County awards dinner. She also volunteers at the Super Reese Community Theater when needed. Patsy is having a blast at Tulip Hill Winery that we have sent her out and about in Lake County, driving the Tulip-Mobile and selling the Cellar Select wines to local shops and restaurants - so wave if you see her driving by!

Elodie Perrochaud-Samón, Tasting Room Associate

Elodie has been with Tulip Hill Winery since May of 2007. She was born and raised in France where she received degrees in business and agriculture. In 2007, she decided to travel abroad to discover a new culture, and landed at Yerba Buena Goat Dairy in Lakeport. She is now married to Javier Samón, owner of the dairy, and they have a beautiful baby boy, Camillo. Elodie enjoys meeting people from all over the world who come to visit the winery and also enjoys learning about California wines.

Elodie is one of Tulip Hill’s French Connection. Both Elodie and Michelle have beautiful French accents that make everything sound magnifique.

Michelle Price, Tasting Room Associate

Michelle has been with Tulip Hill Winery since 2006. It was Michelle’s love for good wine that brought her to Tulip Hill.

She was a Cosmetologist for 35 years and a Massage Therapist and Health Educator for 20 years. Michelle owned two salons in the San Francisco area. When she moved to Lake County ten years ago, a lot of the wineries that are here today were not yet established and as the wine industry grew so did Michelle’s love for wine.

Michelle is one of Tulip Hill’s French Connection. Both Michelle and Elodie have beautiful French accents that make everything sound magnifique.

Melody Royval, Bookkeeper & Bean Counter

Melody joined the Tulip Hill family in January of 2009. She has been the bookkeeper for her family owned business and worked in the sales and accounting department for Konocti winery. Melody has also worked for Stone Street Winery as a production assistant. Before her winery days she was in real estate appraisal. She is our official bean counter and queen of AR/AP.

Chris Skarada, Tasting Room Manager & Events Coordinator

After 30 years in the cosmetic retail industry, I decide that it was time to enjoy life more and not work so hard! I moved here from the East Bay Area looking forward to a slower pace and no freeways! I had always dreamed of working in a winery, having a passion for wine, and landed here at Tulip Hill Winery in October of 2005, shortly after settling in to Lake County. Everyday is a learning experience, from connecting with the community, orchestrating events and even participating in the wine making process! My dream has become a fascinating reality!

Grigio, Chief Mouser & Greeting Committee

So many mice and so little time. New to the winery...my friend Michelle Price made me feel right at home. Now with my wine barrel home decorated with a snuggly blanket, kibble and fresh water waiting for me after work, and generous "lovies" all day, I am determined to do my job to the best of my ability. Look for me around the patio area or near the flowers surrounding the tasting room.