Connor Bockman, Winemaker
Connor Bockman brings more than a decade of winemaking experience across Northern California and New Zealand to his role as Winemaker at Bundschu Co. Formerly the role of Winemaker at Donkey & Goat in Berkeley, Connor is known for crafting expressive, site-driven wines while championing sustainability and regenerative farming practices. His background includes roles at RD Winery, Celia Welch Consulting, Covert Estate, Church Road Winery, and Peter Michael Winery. A UC Davis Viticulture & Enology graduate with a WSET Level 4 Diploma with Distinction, Connor combines technical expertise with a thoughtful, modern approach to winemaking. Raised in Carneros, he shares a deep connection to the Sonoma community and now leads winemaking across both Gundlach Bundschu and Abbot’s Passage alongside Consulting Winemaker Keith Emerson.
What is your approach to organic farming and why is it important?
I’ve always loved the old saying, “the best fertilizer is a farmer’s footsteps.” To me, great organic farming starts with being present in the vineyard. Understanding the ecosystem block by block. Organic and regenerative farming encourage healthier, living soils, more resilient vines, and ultimately wines that better reflect a sense of place. I believe healthy soils are the foundation of expressive, site-driven wines and long-term vineyard health. At the end of the day, organic farming is about stewardship, preserving these historic sites and helping them thrive for future generations.
What are your favorite varietals to work with?
Classically, I’ve always loved working with Syrah. At its best, it has an incredible combination of savory spice, freshness, lift, and complexity that I find endlessly fascinating. Merlot gets a bad rap, but when it’s grown in the right site and farmed thoughtfully, like at Gundlach Bundschu, it can produce wines with beautiful texture, aromatics, and energy while still maintaining approachability.
In recent years, though, I’ve become increasingly drawn to Southern Italian varieties like Falanghina, Greco, Fiano, and Nero d’Avola. They are beautifully suited to California’s evolving climate because they naturally retain balance, vibrancy, and freshness even in warmer conditions. They represent an exciting part of California wine’s future.
What makes you excited about the Gundlach Bundschu vineyards and what makes them one of a kind?
I’ve always been drawn to cooler climate vineyard sites because they naturally produce wines with freshness, structure, and nuance. The Gundlach Bundschu estate is incredibly special in that regard because it combines the cooling influence of San Pablo Bay with more than 165 years of farming history on the property. There is a real sense of continuity and stewardship here that you can feel when walking the vineyards. The diversity of soils, exposures, and heritage plantings creates opportunities to make wines with both character and a strong sense of place. On a personal level, growing up just 10 miles away in Carneros, farming these vineyards and working with this fruit feels a little like coming home.