About Fallen Grape
Biography
A third generation winemaker, Fidencio Flores is a New Age vintner with an Old World understanding thanks to the prestigious mentors with whom he studied over the years. The son of a cellar master, and the grandson of a grape farmer, he grew up on Buttonwood Farm & Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley. Although his family did not own a vineyard, he lived in cadence with the life cycles of the vines as a young boy. As a self proclaimed “child of the dirt”, he believes that the best wines are made by the farmers who nurture the vines in the months leading up to harvest.
He combines his uniquely inherited generational knowledge with degrees in Agricultural Business and Agriculture, Plant, and Soil Sciences from Chico State University, as well as a degree in Viticulture and Enology from Allan Hancock College. He also partnered with research teams at UC Davis to study vine health. Fidencio received the Pacific Coast Business Times Latino Winery of the Year award for viticulture and manages a number of award-winning vineyards across Santa Ynez Valley, Sta. Rita Hills AVA, and San Luis Obispo County. Both a farmer and winemaker, he is involved with his grapes from the vine to the bottle. The beautiful, singularly expressed terroir that he is able to capture is thanks to a carefully honed methodology that emphasizes sustainability of the vineyards, including both the vines and the workforce.
Teaming up with Fidencio is Paul Longo, a veteran restaurant owner. Having spent the last two decades in hospitality, he was fortunate enough to experience wines from all over the world. After years of frustratingly falling in love with inaccessible wines, he became determined to find a solution. Joining forces, Paul and Fidencio set out on a mission to create approachable, value-driven natural wines that celebrate the Central Coast of California through the lens of Fidencio Flores’ ancestral history in the Santa Ynez Valley. Through Fallen Grape, they believe that thoughtful and accessible wine has the ability to transport and connect people to the environments and communities that create lightning in a bottle year after year.
Philosophy
We believe in a hands-on, low intervention approach to winemaking. We believe that the stewardship of our industry begins at the vineyard on both an agricultural and human level. We believe that the best wine is made by supporting and empowering the agrarian
communities that help cultivate vines and harvest grapes with minimal impact to the environment. With an ancestral background of grape farming, Fidencio is involved in the vineyard management and farming leading up to harvest season. He manages multiple vineyards growing a wide range of grape varietals, including the old vine Riesling his grandfather planted in the 1970s. His low impact, sustainable approach is mirrored in our winery, where he focuses on small batch fermentation. This style of thoughtful fermentation allows for native yeasts to guide his winemaking year after year.