Carrie Mauritson
2023 Women in Wine Awards: Heart of the Community
Notable examples of community support: “The wine community knows how to give back, and I believe it’s our responsibility to continue that legacy,” according to Mauritson. “Many people have inspired me, and I hope to do the same for the next generation. This is what makes me proud to be part of this business.”
Each year Mauritson Wines helps to bring the wine and restaurant industries together to support those in need while enjoying a weekend of wine, food, family and friends.
“We just held our 13th annual Project Zin, a fundraiser for the Down syndrome Connection Bay Area showcasing 21 zinfandels with food pairings and a winery tour at Bricoleur Vineyards,” Mauritson said.
Some 300 attendees helped raise $250,000 in 2023, bringing the total donated over the years to $2 million.
“Our oldest son, Brady, was diagnosed with Down syndrome in 2010 — a reality that became an incredible blessing that profoundly changed our lives, giving us a community support mission,” she said.
Since 2019 Mauritson has been a board member of Becoming Independent, a nonprofit helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live meaningful and productive lives.
Business leadership philosophy: “Establishing relationship-driven connections is what we do. When employees love people, you can teach everything else needed for success in the hospitality business,” Mauritson said.
Focusing on staff training and shadowing experiences helps create a sense of ownership and offers opportunities to gain insights on how management wishes employees to relate to each other and customers — treating them as they would want to be treated.
“Our office doors are always open, enabling us to talk openly with everyone. We update staff on the state of the business, give them the big picture, and place emphasis on finding ways to foster close ties between winery and tasting room employees and the customers we serve,” she said.
About the winery
Since 1868, the Mauritson family has been growing grapes in the Dry Creek Valley. Great-great-great grandfather S.P. Hallengren, a grape growing pioneer in the Rockpile region, first planted vines in 1884, shipping every ounce of his wine back to Sweden. The family's Rockpile homestead and ranch grew to 4,000 acres by the early 1960s when all but 700 ridgetop acres was acquired by the Army Corps of Engineers in order to develop Lake Sonoma. The vineyards shown in many of the historical family photos are now under water. For the next 30 years, the Rockpile property would serve mostly for sheep grazing.
The family farming operation moved first to Alexander Valley, then expanded into the benchland of Dry Creek Valley, where we delivered superior fruit for regional winemakers to work with year after year. Still do! The family currently manages 310 vineyards acres spread across Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley and Rockpile Appellations.
In the mid-1990s, Clay Mauritson returned from college with an unexpected longing to get back in the vineyards. This time, though, along with pruning and picking, Clay was determined to add winemaking to the family operation. Honing his winemaking skills and knowledge of winery operations at Kenwood, Taft Street and Dry Creek Vineyards, Clay was ready in 1998 to release the inaugural Mauritson Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. Clay's wife, Carrie, soon joined him, leading our marketing and operations support.
Soon after that inaugural release, the family took a fresh look at the potential for superior grape growing in the Rockpile region and planted 34 acres to vineyards in eight distinct blocks. The combination of low air moisture, poor soils and moderate temperatures was starting to turn heads. The family farming operation had come full circle — and then some.
Six generations and more than150 years later, the family winery is earning a reputation for outstanding winemaking along with our sought-after harvests. The winemaking facility and tasting room were opened in April 2004.
Carrie Mauritson
Mauritson Wines
Sonoma County
Director of hospitality
2859 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448-8230
Phone: 707-431-0804
Website: mauritsonwines.com