“We thought we might be onto something,” says Dr. Bill Parker of their homemade wine. Armed with optimism, the Parkers leaned on their network of friends and colleagues to fine-tune their winemaking, along with a lot of help from the local produce industry’s labor force. Bill, a retired orthopedic surgeon, partnered with longtime colleague Dr. John Heine and local produce broker Jerry Steinbach to establish what their present-day wines represent. “It’s definitely a labor of love,” says Heine. “We’re very passionate about it.” The Parkers credit Steinbach with the foresight to steer the vineyard toward the red varietals. And as for Dr. Heine, he gets kudos for his dedication and tenacity. “John’s the guy you want pushing the plow,” he says. While Bill and his partners handled the operations side of things, Carol put her talents and palate to work. A member of the Carmel Art Association since 1998, she designed a label for their Parker House Chardonnay from a watercolor she painted of their wine shed. For their estate-grown red varieties, she went with a more subtle approach in creating the label of Three Oaks, a nod to a trio of oak trees casting shade on the shed. The Parkers produce about 20 cases of Parker House Chardonnay each Daniel Dreifuss Daniel Dreifuss 30 The Best of Monterey Bay ® Haven 2023-2024 vineyards_23.indd 2 8/1/23 3:46 PM
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