Dominic Xie was born in 1962 in the wine country of Ningxie Province, China. Coming of age in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution he studied at Stanford, raised a family, pursued a successful career in government and business, but never forgot his roots in the vineyards at the edge of the Gobi Desert.

I n 2012 the Xie family acquired the old Cahill estate and winery in the Russian River Valley. In his many years of travel around China and the world, Dom had quietly but consistently pursued his love of wine and country life in Mediterranean Europe and the Americas. But it was California that spoke to him most clearly, to his own love of the land, of purity and simplicity. Ektimo (from the Greek, “εκτιμώ”, to appreciate) is Dom’s expression of gratitude for the bounties of nature and fortune, his desire to use them well here, and most of all, our desire to share them with you.

Born and raised in Sonoma, Aaron Piotter has roots that run very deep in wine country.  The home he grew up in is a stone’s throw from General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo’s Lachryma Montis vineyard and Aaron’s father is volunteer caretaker of that historic vineyard today.  Aaron received his BS in Fermentation Science from UC Davis in the Viticulture and Enology department.   Aaron has 27 harvests under his belt and has amassed winemaking experience from a dynamic range of vineyards and wineries.   Sebastiani Winery, ZD Wines, Viansa Winery and Italian Marketplace, Franciscan Oakville Estate, Ferrari-Carano and most recently was Senior Winemaker at Gallo of Sonoma in the Dry Creek Valley.  Aaron has assembled blends and partnered with wineries in Oregon, New Zealand and Australia.  Perfectly at home gently foot treading a T-bin of Russian River Pinot Noir, yet no stranger to managing a 50 ton fermenter of Dry Creek Zinfandel, Aaron is excited to focus on small lot, hand crafted, luxury wines produced at Ektimo Estate and Ross Road Custom Crush.  Aaron is eager to apply his vast winemaking experience and also to continue his journey of learning and continuous improvement.  Every vintage, batch and fermentation is a truly special and unique experience.  Aaron is looking forward to partnering with our winemaking partners to expertly execute your winemaking vision.  Aaron’s winemaking philosophy is quite simple, capture the soul of each vineyard and diligently shepherd it to bottle with uncompromising attention to detail.  Aaron is a high energy individual and channels this energy through his passion for hiking with his wife and two dogs as well as being an avid cyclist.  You may see him reducing his carbon footprint while commuting from Windsor to Ektimo by bicycle.  Aaron looks forward to sharing his passion for all things wine with the Ektimo team and all our clients!