Neil was born in Fresno to a farming family, one that still works the land to this day. With agriculture in his blood, Neil went on to study Agronomy at Fresno State, before moving to the Central Coast to put down roots as a vigneron.

After working as a vineyard consultant with Crop Care Associates, Neil joined Robert Mondavi as lead Central Coast viticulturist in 1996 – the same year he was named 'Central Coast Grape Grower of the Year' by the Central Coast Wine Growers Association. He worked across Robert Mondavi's diverse vineyard holdings for the next nine years, from Monterey to Santa Barbara. It was during this time that Neil began to really understand the direct influence of vineyard practices on wine, journeying to France on a few occasions to see first hand the terroir-based approach of Burgundian vignerons.

"With Robert Mondavi we were always encouraged to taste wines with the winemakers. That connection was essential in opening my mind to the interactivity of what we do in the field, and got me interested in the winemaking side of things. Learning to identify good vineyard practices from bad helped me understand that what we do in the vines affects what happens in the wine."

Come the new millennium, Neil was picking up more accolades for his work, being honored by American Vineyard Magazine again as 'Grape Grower of the Year' in 2003 and picking up their Environment Stewards Award for San Luis Obispo County in 2004. Then in 2005, Neil was named 'Wine Industry Person of the Year' by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, the perfect segue to launching his own vineyard consultancy business – Roberts Vineyard Services – the following year.

With RVS, Neil is able bring together his passions for quality and sustainability while making his experience available to the grape growers and winemakers of the Central Coast. Over the years, by focussing on growing premium quality fruit through regenerative principles, Neil has helped to enhance the health and prestige of his adopted region. It is also why he continues to invest considerable time in supporting industry organizations and community causes within the Central Coast.

And as if that wasn't all, back in 2006 Neil also launched his Clavo Cellars wine brand (with its inaugural 2004 release). You don't have to make wine to be a successful viticulturist, but it certainly helps. The time Neil spends making his own wine has a huge impact on his outlook as a progressive, quality-focused viticulturist. Neil has always maintained that the best wines are made in the vineyards, and with Clavo Cellars he is able to put his money where his mouth is and prove that…