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Our Story
Cynthus is a small family-owned winery dedicated to producing handcrafted ultra-premium wines – in select quantities – that exhibit the true essence of their pedigree. We have chosen to invest in quality – of the grapes, of the winemaking style, and of the wines produced. Hailing from UC Davis, we began our quest as avid wine enthusiasts progressing to home winemakers, and have now taken our passion to commercially producing small lot varietals in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. The Cynthus dream began with our first harvest in the Fall of 2000. As two of our favorite varietals, we selected to produce a Stagecoach Vineyard, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and an Olivet Lane Vineyard, Russian River Valley Chardonnay. The name Cynthus originates from Greek mythology. Artemis, the daughter of Zeus and sister of Apollo, was born on the Island of Delos (off Greece) on Mount Cynthus. Artemis is also called Cynthia, goddess of the moon. Since my wife’s name is Cynthia and Sonoma is the Valley of the Moon, Sonoma County seemed like the natural place to begin our quest. Our vision is one of excellence, to strive for quality rather than quantity. We are producing wines of distinction that we hope you will enjoy for many years to come. Please join us on our journey! ~ James & Cynthia Murphy
Kerry Damskey has the ability to create a unique statement from a vineyard. His site-driven winemaking style allows him to nuture the grapes to their best possible, “then I let the flavor of the grapes come through in the wine.” Creating wines that fully articulate the pedigree of the vineyard is his passion, and it is this passion along with his specialization of creating handcrafted premium wines, that marries perfectly with our vision of Cynthus wines. Kerry graduated from UC Davis with his degree in fermentation sciences. He has been making wines for 30 years in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, along with consulting outside the country, which contribute to his award winning style. His past work includes Zellerbach Winery, Gauer Estate Mountain Vineyard, and Associated Vintage Group, to name a few, and now he concentrates on producing small lot wines from vineyard-based producers. |
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