Tessa Marie Parker began her winemaking career by working in her family's tasting room during the summer of 2004, following graduation from high school. At the age of 18, when she still was too young to taste the wines that were being poured, she would smell them and describe their aromatics using the descriptive words she had so frequently heard. Curious about the process of crafting fine wine, and armed with determination, she enrolled in the Enology and Viticulture program at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, CA.

While working the harvest at a local winery during her first semester in college, Tessa discovered Sangiovese. This red Italian wine grape variety captured her attention instantly. With its food-friendly character, forward fruit, and age worthiness, Sangiovese would become the cornerstone of Tessa's winemaking efforts. Shortly thereafter, the Tessa Marie label was born and a new winemaking career began.

Today, with several harvests under her belt, Tessa continues to perfect her winemaking techniques and has expanded her portfolio to include several new varieties in her all-Italian lineup. However, Sangiovese remains the hallmark of the program, and she says that it always will.