Tablas Creek Vineyard names new winemaking leadership
Craig Hamm, Neil Collins, and Chelsea Franchi.
– Tablas Creek Vineyard has announced changes to its winemaking leadership, promoting Chelsea Franchi to director of winemaking and Craig Hamm to winemaker.
The Paso Robles winery said the promotions reflect a long-planned leadership transition and the continued growth of its production team. Both Franchi and Hamm have spent their careers at Tablas Creek and will assume expanded roles in cellar operations.
Franchi joined Tablas Creek while studying agricultural business and wine and viticulture at Cal Poly, beginning work in the tasting room before moving into the cellar after graduating in 2008. She was promoted to assistant winemaker in 2009 and has since played a central role in planning, management, and cellar leadership. In 2020, Franchi was recognized as Paso Robles Cellar Worker of the Year. As director of winemaking, she will oversee all cellar operations, including harvest, blending, and bottling, and will continue the winery’s educational outreach through her Notes from the Cellar blog series.
Hamm, a Templeton native, was promoted to winemaker after more than a decade working at Tablas Creek. He grew up working in his family’s vineyard and gained cellar experience at Meridian and Justin before joining Tablas Creek in 2013. The winery said Hamm has become a key member of the production team and will take on a leading role in day-to-day winemaking decisions and cellar operations.
As part of the transition, longtime winemaker Neil Collins will move into the role of director of production. Collins has served as Tablas Creek’s winemaker since 1998 and has been involved in shaping the winery’s farming and winemaking practices. In his new position, Collins will focus on long-term production strategy while supporting the new leadership team.
“I have considered it a great honor to be the winemaker at Tablas Creek Vineyard over the past couple of decades,” said Collins. “One of the things that I have taken great pride in is the building of a great cellar team. I cannot imagine hands that I would feel better about passing the reins to than Chelsea’s. For 18 years, we have worked side by side; she is irreplaceable to me. Craig has worked with us for 13 years and is accomplished in the cellar, of course, but much more than that. He brings creativity and a great drive to always push the wines to the next level; he is smart, ambitious, and driven. These two, with the help of assistant winemaker Amanda Collins and cellar master Kaitlyn Glynn, will without question bring our wines to new heights of excellence. I’ll watch with pride and pleasure. Neil.”
The winery said the new leadership structure is intended to maintain continuity while recognizing the contributions of team members who have worked together across multiple harvests.
Tablas Creek Vineyard was founded in 1989 as a partnership between the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel and Robert Haas. The winery focuses on Rhône grape varieties and regenerative organic farming in Paso Robles.
