Two Winemakers
Eric Baugher
Winemaker /
Co-Founder
Eric grew up along the Pacific Ocean in Santa Cruz, near an area of apple orchards that have now become vineyards. He studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UC Santa Cruz, then went on to work at the legendary Ridge Vineyards at the top of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Eric spent twenty-seven vintages making highly acclaimed wines. That is where he met Shun, working together at the cellar and lab, joining forces to make some of the best wines of Ridge’s history. Achieving 100 points multiple times, they make a dream team in winemaking. Their collaboration continued as they traveled north to Napa Valley where they spent two vintages working with some of the best hillside vineyards. Following Napa Valley, Eric returned to the cool Pacific Ocean climate of Santa Cruz to re-establish his roots and decided that it was time to partner with Shun and launch our own wine brand “Deauratus”. With that came the freedom to select vineyards that have distinct character with unique geology, grapes that produce excellent quality wines without heavy-handed winemaking interventions, and are small lots consisting of a few barrels of each wine that we could take care of all by ourselves. This has allowed us the chance to work with our favorite grapes and wine regions, working with skillful growers that are capable of yielding top quality. Matching excellent fruit to our highly disciplined winemaking approach, the resulting wines are stunning and quite “golden.”
Shun Ishikubo
Winemaker /
Co-Founder
Shun was born in Kagoshima, Japan’s largest Shochu (a distilled liquor) production district. He started his career at a small family-owned distillery as a cellar hand. Shun’s keen interest in the art and science of alcohol fermentation and distillation led him to move to the US and study in California’s fastest-growing wine production region.
In 2003, Shun graduated with a BSc in viticulture & enology from the University of California, Davis. Afterward, he began working at a sake brewing company to study other forms and styles of alcohol fermentation. In 2006, Shun started his wine-making career at a custom crush facility, where he learned about large-scale wine production.
In 2008, he challenged himself to learn about natural wine fermentation. Shun took a job as a cellar worker, enologist, and associate winemaker at Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello, where he worked with world-renowned winemakers and viticulturists. After 13 seasons at Ridge, Shun moved to Napa Valley and perfected his skills while working as a winemaker at the Kuleto Estate and Foley Johnson Winery.
In 2023, Shun achieved his dream of making his wine with his friend, winemaking partner, Eric, a world-renowned winemaker. Shun also shares his international knowledge and experience as a consulting winemaker at Green Hill Wine Services LLC.