Mike's career in wine began as a sommelier in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the award-winning restaurant Primitivo, where he developed his passion for wine and his palate under the tutelage of his mentor, Alan Manley. Making wine quickly became an immense obsession, and after spending several months exploring the wine country of Spain and France talking with winemakers, he made his way to Napa Valley in 2000. Mike worked in the cellar at Behrens & Hitchcock Winery for two years, before being hired as the winemaker for Realm Cellars in 2002.
In addition to Relic, his current winemaking projects include Collateral Wines, D.R. Stephens Estate, and Husic Family Vineyards. If Mike is not in the vineyard or winery, you may find him engaged in one of his other passions - cooking or playing guitar.