Craig Becker, a Southern California native, is a founding member of Somerston Estate. A strong love of the outdoors attracted Becker to winemaking. This attraction, combined with innate talent, led him to the helm of Somerston – an expansive project focused on great wines and an appreciation of the natural world.

Becker spent much of his childhood in Long Beach, California before moving north to attend Santa Rosa Junior College – with both the desire to be surrounded by nature and for the unlimited mountain biking opportunities. Soon after transferring to the University of California at Davis to study plant physiology and soil science, he met Courtney Siverson, who would later become his wife. While finishing his degree, Becker’s interest in winemaking took flight after working a harvest job at Robert Mondavi Winery. Soon thereafter, he worked at Spring Mountain, before starting his own winemaking consulting company. It was during this time that he met our Proprietor, Allan Chapman, who had recently launched two wine brands – Priest Ranch and Somerston, from the Somerston Estate property in St. Helena.

In Becker’s free time – which is extremely limited these days – Becker enjoys spending time with his family, gardening with his girls, woodworking (he hand-built many of the features in his St. Helena home) and flying planes. He admits, however, that for now he’s committed to remaining on the ground to oversee the growth and success of the Somerston Estate and wine brands.