MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. – October 12, 2015 – Monterey County’s family-owned Albatross Ridge is happy to announce the appointment of Marc Cutino to vice president of sales. In this key role, Cutino will oversee the sales program for Albatross Ridge’s small portfolio of estate-grown Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, while working with its existing distributor partners, and establishing Albatross Ridge in new markets throughout the United States.
Cutino joins Albatross Ridge after eight years as the Pacific Northwest regional sales manager for Monterey’s Talbott Vineyards. While at Talbott Vineyards, Cutino oversaw an expansive territory that included the winery’s largest wholesale market, Northern California. Prior to his tenure at Talbott, Cutino spent a decade as the wine director for the Central Coast’s famed Sardine Factory restaurant, where he established himself as an expert on Monterey County wine, while overseeing an acclaimed wine list with more than 1,400 selections. Cutino is a certified sommelier and a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned a degree in social science.
“Marc has a remarkable level of knowledge about our region, and its wines,” says Albatross Ridge Founder and CEO Brad Bowlus. “He also understands the industry from both the winery side and the hospitality side. Because we are a winery that exclusively makes small-production, estate-grown wines, our focus is on the quality of our placements, not the quantity. Marc shares this philosophy. He is the perfect person to tell our story, and to bring our wines to a wider audience of wine enthusiasts.”
“Albatross Ridge has already established a reputation as one of California’s most exciting young wineries among sommeliers, and lovers of great cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir,” says Cutino. “I’m eager to build on this phenomenal reputation in California, while helping to introduce Albatross Ridge to a national audience.”
About Albatross Ridge
Perched seven miles from the Pacific Ocean, on the cool, mountain slopes of Monterey’s Carmel Coast, Albatross Ridge is one of the most unique vineyards in California. Planted and farmed by the Bowlus family, with the meticulous care of a grand cru-quality site, this special vineyard yields some of the Central Coast’s most exciting estate-grown Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. Made in a gentle, minimalist style, with native yeast, modest new oak, and at lower alcohol levels, the wines of Albatross Ridge are recognized for their vivid aromatics and varietal purity.
