Chelsea Franchi is a native of the Sierra Foothills of Northern California and was part of a family that always had wine opened for dinner and encouraged her interest in wine. While in college at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, where she majored in Agricultural Business, emphasizing wine and viticulture, she worked as a hostess and in the tasting room of Tablas Creek Vineyard west of Paso Robles. Chelsea graduated in 2008, at which point she began her production career as a “cellar rat” at the winery. During her first harvest, she furthered her knowledge and appreciation of wine by completing the first-level sommelier exam.

Chelsea was named assistant winemaker at the winery in 2009, becoming part of the leadership team in the cellar. This promotion among other things reflected her thirst for more knowledge of winemaking and her willingness to work hard. She continued as a leader in the cellar as she rose to the position of senior assistant winemaker and, as of late 2025, to Director of Winemaking. A measure of Chelsea’s accomplishments in the cellar is her being voted by her peers as Paso Robles Cellar Worker of the Year in 2020.

In her role as Director of Winemaking, she oversees all operations in the cellar, guiding her winemaking team through harvest, vinifying, blending, and bottling. She will also be continuing her long-running blog, “Notes from the Cellar.” Chelsea will be focused on maintaining the guiding principles at Tablas Creek, namely, organic and biodynamic farming methods, indigenous yeast fermentations, and ensuring improvement of the lives of the employees at Tablas Creek Vineyard.

Chelsea’s advice to aspiring winemakers includes statements such as patience and hard work pay off, paying attention, listening to and absorbing information from your peers, and tasting with other winemakers are invaluable. Most important to her is that attitude is everything.

Tablas Creek Vineyard prides itself on the Rhône-style red and white blends that are crafted there. These include their flagship brands, Esprit de Tablas and Esprit de Tablas Blanc, and Cotes de Tablas and Cotes de Tablas Blanc.