Credit: Bumgarner Winery

Brian Bumgarner has always been a maker. Not a dabbler. Not a sampler. A maker in the old sense—hands first, head second, fully committed or not interested at all. Over the years, that instinct has taken many forms– cooking, sourdough baking, ceramic sculpture, music, stringed instruments, homebrewing, and, ultimately, wine. Some passions burned hot and faded with time. Others never let go. What never changed was the impulse itself—curiosity paired with craft, pursued all the way.

That mindset first took shape through music. Brian studied it in college, apprenticed with a luthier, and spent years repairing acoustic stringed instruments at a bluegrass music store. Precision mattered. Materials mattered. Patience mattered. Around 1990, a friend introduced him to homebrewing, and fermentation took hold. Already deep into sourdough baking, Brian recognized the same quiet alchemy at work. Beer wasn’t a detour—it was a continuation.

Wine arrived soon after, carried home from Europe. In the fall of 1992, Brian and his future wife, Jennifer, spent three months traveling abroad, drinking local wines wherever they landed. In southern Greece, they witnessed harvest firsthand—grapes, dust, timing, and communal effort. Back in California, while housesitting in Placerville, Brian discovered that El Dorado County made wine. On a hunch, he applied for a tasting room job at the first winery he visited, Boeger Winery.

What was meant to be temporary became foundational. Brian made his first wine in 1993 and hasn’t missed a vintage since. Over eleven years at Boeger, he learned the business from the inside out—winemaking, hospitality, sales, and distribution. When he eventually moved on, he continued selling wine for other producers while quietly making his own. In 2005, Brian and Jennifer founded Bumgarner Winery.

The original vision was focused and unapologetic– mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. At the time, few El Dorado producers were working seriously in that style, but Brian knew the potential was there. Many of his favorite California Cabernets came from Napa’s mountain districts, and El Dorado’s elevation offered similar structure and intensity. He sourced fruit from the Duarte–Georgetown Vineyard, sitting at roughly 3,000 feet in the northern El Dorado AVA. The vineyard’s vast clonal diversity—thanks to its role as Duarte Nursery—allowed for careful selection. Three Cabernet clones and several Bordeaux blending varieties were aged for 30 months in new French oak. For the first two vintages, Bumgarner made only Cabernet Sauvignon.

Then came 2008. The financial crisis wiped out more than half of Brian’s restaurant accounts almost overnight. The original sales model collapsed, forcing a rethink. The response wasn’t retreat—it was expansion. Five additional varietals were added, and plans for a tasting room took shape. When the Camino tasting room opened at the end of 2010, the lineup included Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Barbera, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, and a Bordeaux-style blend called Many Hands.

Credit: Bumgarner Winery

Around the same time, Brian began leasing a vineyard in Placerville planted to Tempranillo and Barbera—two wines that consistently resonated with visitors. El Dorado’s terroir suits both. Cool nights help Tempranillo retain acidity despite its naturally higher pH, while the long growing season allows Barbera the hang time it needs to fully ripen and balance its signature acidity.

Elevation also proved ideal for white wines. El Dorado vineyards climb as high as 3,500 feet. In 2017, the Bumgarners purchased 30 acres in Fair Play above 2,700 feet, planting ten acres to Chenin Blanc, Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Friulano, and Bordeaux red varieties. The Fair Play site anchors the winery today, defining its style with altitude, diurnal shifts, and long growing seasons.

Bumgarner Winery now operates two tasting rooms, each with its own character. The Camino tasting room sits in the heart of Apple Hill™, housed in a converted late-1800s horse barn once part of a pear and apple ranch. The original post-and-beam structure remains intact, complete with a hay loft and a live-edge cedar tasting bar. Outside, lawns, fig trees, and a barrel-stave wall create a relaxed setting. In warmer months, live music fills the space, often paired with Brian’s wood-fired sourdough pizza.

The Fair Play tasting room sits at the estate vineyard, a small white farmhouse overlooking the vines. Tastings are typically seated and outdoors, accompanied by charcuterie, picnic tables, a bocce court, and shade from towering oak trees. As a true family winery, it’s common to see Brian’s son, Van Isaac, working the vineyard or driving the tractor, while Brian splits time between the cellar and the tasting room.

Sustainability at Bumgarner isn’t marketing—it’s practice. When the Camino tasting room opened, Brian introduced the Silverfork line: wines and ciders served on tap and sold in reusable flip-top bottles. Customers return bottles for credit, and they’re sanitized and reused. Tens of thousands of bottles have been kept out of landfills. Seasonal ciders and rotating wines keep the taps—and the curiosity—fresh.

Credit: Bumgarner Winery

In the vineyard, everything begins organically. Cover crops, compost, and micronutrients as needed. Sulfur and mineral oil handle disease pressure. No herbicides—just mechanical weed control using an under-row cultivator. An all-electric Monarch tractor does much of the work. Decomposed granite soils drain well, and older vines with deep roots require minimal irrigation.

In the cellar, Brian favors restraint. Whites are hand-sorted and whole-cluster pressed. Reds are destemmed without crushing, often cold-soaked, and fermented in small bins. Free-run and press fractions are kept separate. Reds are bottled unfiltered; most whites are filtered. Adjustments happen early to avoid intervention later. High-tech shortcuts—reverse osmosis, sweet spotting, and de-alcoholization—are avoided in favor of balance, structure, and purity.

Blending has become one of Brian’s favorite parts of the craft. Van Blanc, an estate white blend of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Friulano, carries an Italian influence and his son’s name. Two Rhône-style red blends honor daughters Fiona and Elle. Many Hands, the flagship Bordeaux-style blend, remains his personal favorite. Occasionally, a Super Tuscan-style blend joins the lineup.

After more than thirty years in El Dorado County wine, Brian has watched the region evolve—from a dozen wineries to more than seventy, from case-stacking weekends to experience-driven visits. The consumer has changed. The market has shifted. El Dorado has adapted. What remains constant is the region’s promise: altitude-driven wines, remarkable diversity, family ownership, and exceptional value.

Next up for Bumgarner Winery is a return to fermentation roots: piquettes. Low-alcohol, lightly bubbly, lactic-fermented wines made from rehydrated pressed grapes and packaged in reusable flip-top bottles. Tart, refreshing, and intentionally unconventional, they echo Brian’s homebrewing past while speaking directly to a new generation of drinkers.

Still a maker.
Still all in.

The wines featured in the Wine Recommendations section were provided by the winery for the purpose of review. The selection and tasting of these wines were independently conducted. No compensation or incentives were provided for inclusion in the story. As always, the top priority is to provide readers with informative reporting.

Wine Recommendations

2021 “Fiona” GSM—showcases black cherry, plum, and violet aromas with sagebrush spice. On the palate, lush dark berries, cocoa, and graphite glide with silky tannins and vibrant acidity, culminating in a long, peppery finish ideal for grilled meats.

2023 Tempranillo—top-shelf stunner, its impenetrable black-purple core unleashing a hedonistic rush of raspberry liqueur, scorched cassis, charred earth, Cuban cigar wrapper, black licorice, and alpine sage that screams Sierra Foothills mastery.

2023 Cabernet Franc—shows a lifted bouquet of raspberry, red cherry and pomegranate, with crushed violets and a gentle leafy note. The palate is very clean and precise, driven by high‑toned red berries and red currant, with only a touch of baking spice in the background. Fine, supple tannins and bright acidity carry a medium‑length finish, mineral‑tinged edge, emphasizing finesse and drinkability over power.

2022 Petite Sirah—erupts with an impenetrable core of blackberry bramble and black pepper, its inky density yielding to charred sagebrush and molten licorice.

2021 Cabernet Sauvignon—packed with blackberry and cassis with notes of green pepper.

2023 Chenin Blanc—opens with a focused nose of Key Lime, white peach, and delicate flowers. On the palate, brisk and finely textured with a citrus-driven core and long, mouthwatering finish.