Laguna Canyon Winery owner J . J . Huber prefers low-yield vineyards planted on a slope .
explains , as people might buy the same grapes , but their wines each end up tasting different in the end . There are so many things that can be tweaked during the process to create your own style . His small-batch wines are unfiltered and made with high-quality grapes from low-yield vineyards . “ We do it by hand , so you get a much better extraction and some amazing color as well coming from the skins ,” Huber says , noting that larger companies often produce wines with a lighter or medium-bodied color . “… And ours are inky , chewy , jammy . So that ’ s part of the benefit of handcrafting something in small lots .”
Laguna Canyon Winery — which consistently wins awards at the OC Fair ’ s Commercial Wine Competition including lots of gold and double gold medals — offers 20 different varieties , from reds like pinot noir , syrah , petite sirah and a Super Tuscan to whites like chardonnay , sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio . Huber started with a focus on blends , but now also offers pure varietals . There isn ’ t one that ’ s the most popular . “ Members will come in and buy a case … and there ’ s 12 different bottles in the case ,” he says .
In addition to the Laguna Canyon brand , he also produces wine under the Purple Paws label , which is a tribute to his late
poodle , Tierra ( aka Terr Bear or Bear ), and donates the proceeds to nonprofits helping homeless pets .
“ So the story goes , I was here pressing pinot noir about 15 years ago and I brought her to the winery . We were in the back here pressing and there was wine all over the floor ,” Huber recalls . “ Her little paws got soaking wet with pinot noir and she came to the front and she was traipsing around in the tasting room and marking all these little … paw prints all over the tasting room floor and I said , ‘ That ’ s it , Purple Paws Pinot .’ And so I ’ ve been donating a portion of the sales for homeless pets in Orange County for the last 15 years .”
DEEP ROOTS Huber comes from a ranching family in Canada , where he first caught the winemaking bug . He knew the ag life wasn ’ t for him , so Huber moved to Vancouver where he met Gianni Seminari , who would become his mentor . Huber crushed grapes for two years with this Italian wine master from the University of Milan , honing his skills . Eventually , Huber embarked on his own journey with much success . Huber and his brother established their first winery in the Vancouver area in 1993 and then the family
Huber ( center ) with team members John Rider ( left ), head winemaker , and Jeff McEachron ( right ), who conducts the Super Tuscan wine blending class with Huber
opened a second winery in 1996 .
But Huber felt pulled toward the renowned vineyards of Northern California , so he continued his wine science education under the tutelage of UC Davis professor Clark Smith . Over the years , Huber ’ s style has evolved , combining Old World and New World wine-making methods to create complex blends . After visiting a friend in San Diego and meeting a young woman there , he decided to stay in Southern California . She
LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 43