Matt Dees is the winemaker for three Santa Barbara County wine labels: the luxury brand Jonata, based in Ballard Canyon; The Hilt, based in the Santa Rita Hills; and The Paring, which blends juice not otherwise used for the other two brands. Matt is also a self-professed “plant person,” and he has the resume to prove it. Born in Kansas City, Matt attended the University of Vermont to study soil science, and has worked harvests in New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay and Staglin in Napa. But despite having spent nearly two decades in the Santa Barbara County wine industry, and having devoted his career to winemaking, Matt Dees is no one-trick pony. He can talk about Bach, Grace Slick, and Kansas City barbecue in the same breath, and seems like he might be happy to do so anytime. We talked about his life and career while sharing a table at the new restaurant Highwater in San Luis Obispo.
Website: jonata.com; thehiltestate.com;.theparing.com
Instagram: @jonataestate @thehiltestate @theparing
Oddette Augustus, chef and caterer, Miss Oddette’s Creole Kitchen, Paso Robles
Janine Stone, food entrepreneur, A Bitch-In Kitchen, San Luis Obispo, CA
Brittany App, water activist and filmmaker, ”Where There Once Was Water,” Carrizo Plain, CA
Jim Clendenen, winemaker, Au Bon Climat Winery, Santa Maria, CA
Jack + Michelle Rudolph, farmers and cheesemakers, Stepladder Creamery, Cambria, CA
Kendra Aronson, cookbook author and creative, San Luis Obispo, CA
Matt Cross, owner, Broad Street Public House, San Luis Obispo, CA
Max Montgomery, brewer and owner, There Does Not Exist, San Luis Obispo, CA
Larry Kandarian, grain farmer, Kandarian Organic Farms, Los Osos, CA
Erin Primer, Food Services Director, San Luis Coastal Unified School District, San Luis Obispo, CA
Tim Veatch, chef and baker, Wayward Baking, Los Osos, CA
Sara + Jon Peterson, owners, Scout Coffee and HoneyCo Coffee Roasters, San Luis Obispo
Neal Maloney, owner and farmer, Morro Bay Oyster Company, Morro Bay
Erin Holden, beekeeper, Central Coast Beekeepers Alliance, Atascadero
Julien + Courtney Asseo, resturateurs, Les Petites Canailles, Paso Robles
Greg Clarke, author and illustrator, A Sidecar Named Desire, Thousand Oaks
Chris Dillow + Evan Toohey, chef and employee, Fig at Courtney’s House, Templeton
Mike Sinor, winemaker, Sinor-LaValle Wines, Avila Beach, + Ancient Peaks Winery, Santa Margarita
Chef Daisy Ryan + Greg Ryan, restaurateurs, Bell’s, Los Alamos
Jenn Harris, senior food writer, The Los Angeles Times
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