Dean Guzman

Meet Dean

Head Winemaker for McClain Cellars, former member of the Fess Parker wine team, Production Manager of a 750,000-case custom crush facility, former Assistant Winemaker for Sanger and Consilience Wines, and an award-winning winemaker.

Dean’s winemaking journey began at Central Coast Wine Services (CCWS) in 1997. Before that, he was cooking at “Chef Rick’s,” a hotspot for local winemakers, and that job lit the fuse for his wine obsession. His grandfather, a dedicated wine collector, was also a huge influence: as a boy, Dean watched him choose special bottles from his custom-built cellar for family dinners. When his grandfather passed in 1996, Dean inherited his collection and a burning passion for winemaking, and he set out to make his own wine in his honor.

In 1997 a friend brought him into a harvest job at a local winery. At CCWS, where the local winemaking legends gathered, Dean started with the hard work of cleaning presses and filtering lees, and earned daily private winemaking lessons from the region’s best. He spent five years as the Alternating Proprietor Manager, working alongside Lane Tanner, Seth Kunin and Craig Jaffurs, and mastering everything from Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Pinot Noir to Zinfandel and Merlot.

Hungry for more, Dean moved to Paso Robles as a Senior Wine Technician, managing a 450-bottle-per-minute bottling line, before returning to the Santa Ynez Valley as Cellar Master at Fess Parker Winery in Los Olivos under the mentorship of Brett Escalera and Andy Ibarra, working with Riesling, Viognier and other varietals.

After six years at Fess Parker he joined Terravant in Buellton, where he helped build a 750,000-case operation as Cellar Master and later Production Manager. After six and a half years there, he reunited with Brett Escalera at Consilience as Assistant Winemaker. By 2018, Dean had crushed 22 harvests, each one better than the last.

Today Dean is the winemaker for McClain Cellars, inspired by the McClain family’s vision and proud to be part of their team.