Winemaking Team

John began traveling to Europe at an early age where he was introduced to the culture of wine in France and Italy. He frequently visited the south of France where he spent time with his uncle, Richard Olney, the celebrated food and wine writer. While attending a language exchange program in Provence, he chose to pursue wine as a career and, in 1994, enrolled in enological studies at the Lycée Viticole in Burgundy to learn the craft of winemaking. Before coming to Ridge, John worked at Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant as well as with several European winemakers including Gérard Chave in the Rhône, Lucien Peyraud at Domaine Tempier and Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. In 1996, John began work at Ridge’s Monte Bello Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. In 1999, he was put in charge of the Lytton Springs Winery where he oversaw the construction of the innovative 17,000 square foot straw bale winery. In 2021, John was promoted to Head Winemaker & COO.

Shauna brings a lifetime of winemaking experience with her to Ridge. Her father, Kent Rosenblum, of Rosenblum Cellars, introduced his winemaking passion to Shauna at an early age. In 2008, Rosenblum joined Rock Wall Wine Company as Winemaker. She directed a portfolio of over fifty grape contracts around California and oversaw all aspects of production on every lot of wine from crush to bottling. During her 14-year tenure at Rock Wall Wine Company, she rose to the rank of President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors.

A Northern California native, Mike discovered his passion for wine after receiving his bachelor’s degree from UC Davis. Having chosen English Literature as his preferred field of study instead of Enology however, he came to the wine world the way most liberal arts majors do: working in the restaurant industry. The natural beauty and world-class restaurants of Sonoma County drew Mike to Healdsburg in 2000. By 2003, his fascination with wine and winemaking inspired him to take the plunge and he accepted a cellar intern position at a small Dry Creek Valley winery. He quickly moved up to Assistant Winemaker and returned to school to earn an associate’s degree in Enology. Mike joined the Ridge team at the Lytton Springs location in 2014. He lives in Healdsburg with his family.

Lauren Lyall is Assistant Winemaker at Monte Bello. Her path to winemaking was scenic: after studying Cognitive Science at UC San Diego, she set out to experience more of the world, working a variety of restaurant and hospitality jobs to fund her travels. Being surrounded by food and drink culture encouraged her to enroll in a viticulture apprenticeship program in 2018. Her experience then led to roles working in vineyards and wineries across Australia, California, and Oregon before she landed at Ridge Vineyards, eager to set some roots.

Lauren joined the Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello team as the Lab Manager in 2023 and moved into the Assistant Winemaker role in early 2025. Her intimate knowledge of the Monte Bello mountain and dedication to quality, efficiency, and supporting her team make Lauren a fantastic fit for RIDGE.