The People Behind Carlton Cellars
Dave Grooters
Co-owner, grower, and winemaker Dave Grooters is a hands-on kind of guy who brings a former engineer's attention to detail to bear on everything he does, from vinification to pruning methodologies. His direct personal involvement in every aspect of Carlton Cellars is clear when you visit for a tasting. He’ll tell you the story of your glass of wine, the angle of the sun on that block of triple-7, how much fruit was dropped to achieve the concentrated flavors, and where in France the oak for the barrel came made from.
Robin Russell
Co-owner Robin Russell (and Dave's better half) is a Senior Client Partner with Korn/Ferry International, the world’s premier provider of executive talent management solutions with offices in forty countries. Robin recruits CEOs and senior level C-Suite executives for the retail industry. She thrives on the work of making good matches and moving people forward in their lives, and making a difference. An avid animal lover, Robin cares for the adopted cats of Russell-Grooters Vineyard, who might be just the beginning of a vineyard menagerie.
Dustin Miller
Vineyard Manager Dustin Miller grew up in Carlton and has been working the land there for twenty years. He started out in his family's nursery and landscaping business and has been tending the Russell-Grooters Vineyard since 2006. He cheerfully notes that his view from work — over the vines and out to the coastal range — has his friends' office window views beat.
Brooke Russell
A graduate of New York's French Culinary Institute, Brooke Russell is a marketing and operations consultant to wineries and restaurants in the Willamette Valley. She sharpened her knowledge of food and wine early on entertaining clients as a globetrotting fashion industry executive. It was Dave Grooters, whom she met through her sister Robin, who introduced Brooke to Oregon wine. In 1996 she came for a working vacation at harvest, and she was hooked. Brooke relocated to Oregon in 2004, though she continues the bi-coastal family tradition with her fiancé John Zaccone from NYC.
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