Castle Rock Winery

Our Story

Castle Rock stands for Quality and Value

We pride ourselves on the quality of our wines, which are often comparable to wines costing two or three times as much.

Since its inception in 1994, Castle Rock Winery has built an enviable reputation for producing high quality wines at affordable prices. This winning formula has been highly successful, as proven by an increasing number of customers and members of the wine press who have given the wines glowing reviews.

Castle Rock buys grapes from approximately 40 grape growers, all renowned for their expertise and consistency. In each case, vineyard practices are carried out under the guidance and instruction of Castle Rock’s winemaker, Meghan Rech, all to ensure that quality standards are maintained from start to finish.

After the harvest, the wines are made in accordance with Castle Rock’s winemaking standards, and are bottled at wineries, boasting state-of-the-art equipment, located in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and Washington’s Columbia Valley.

Castle Rock’s business model aims to please – lovely on the palate and easy on the wallet. By virtue of having a low overhead, (no nagging real estate mortgages, no marketing teams or large staff to employ, and no elaborate facilities) Castle Rock is able to funnel all their capital into making the best possible wine for the best possible price.

A word from the owner

  • Greg Popovich
    Greg Popovich
    FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
  • Meghan Rech
    Meghan Rech
    DIRECTOR OF WINEMAKING
  • Dave McCormack
    Dave McCormack
    Vice President, Central Division
  • Stephen Ross
    Stephen Ross
    Vice President, Western Division
  • Phil Roberts
    Phil Roberts
    Vice President, East Division

Castle Rock Winery

Awards Won

Location

Castle Rock 2018 California Cuvée Pinot Noir awarded a Platinum Medal and a score of 94 points at the 27th annual Monterey International Wine Competition.

2020

Location

Castle Rock 2018 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 89 Points and a “Best Buy” as well as being one of their “Top 100 Best Buys of 2019.”

2020

Location

2020 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition - Seven Castle Rock wines have been awarded Gold Medals including a Double Gold for our 2018 Mendocino County Pinot Noir.

2020

Location

Six Castle Rock Wines were awarded Gold Medals and along with fantastic scores at the 2019 Sommelier Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition.

2019

Location

California State Fair

Castle Rock Winery is awarded four Gold Medals at the 2019 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition including a Double-Gold for our 2018 Central Coast Chardonnay.

2019

Castle Rock Winery

Awards Won

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    ROSÉ of PINOT NOIR, Monterey County

    Vintage: 2019

    Accolades & Notes

    Not yet rated

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    PINOT NOIR, California Cuvée

    Vintage: 2018

    Accolades & Notes

    Monterey International Wine Comp. – Platinum Medal / 94 Points

    Wine Spectator 86 Points

    Wine Enthusiast 86 Points

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    PINOT NOIR, Columbia Valley

    Vintage: 2013

    Accolades & Notes

    Wine Enthusiast 87 Points/Best Buy

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    PINOT NOIR, Mendocino County

    Vintage: 2019

    Accolades & Notes

    Not yet rated

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    PINOT NOIR, Central Coast

    Vintage: 2018

    Accolades & Notes

    Sommelier Wine Challenge – Gold Medal / 90 Points

    Wine Spectator 88 Points / Best Value

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    PINOT NOIR, Monterey County

    Vintage: 2018

    Accolades & Notes

    Wine Enthusiast 89 Points/Best Buy

    Sommelier Wine Challenge – Gold Medal / 91 Points

    San Francisco Chronicle Wine Comp – Gold Medal

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    PINOT NOIR, Los Carneros

    Vintage: 2014

    Accolades & Notes

    San Francisco Chronicle Wine Comp – Gold Medal

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    PINOT NOIR, Willamette Valley

    Vintage: 2018

    Accolades & Notes

    Sommelier Wine Challenge – Gold Medal / 90 Points

    Wine Enthusiast 89 Points / Best Buy / Top 100 Best Buys of 2019

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    PINOT NOIR, RESERVE, Russian River Valley

    Vintage: 2018

    Accolades & Notes

    San Francisco Chronicle Wine Comp – Gold Medal

    Wine Enthusiast 86 Points

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    DRESSAGE PINOT NOIR, Monterey County

    Vintage: 2018

    Accolades & Notes

    Monterey International Wine Comp. – Gold Medal / 90Points

    Wine Enthusiast 88 Points

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    CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Paso Robles

    Vintage: 2016

    Accolades & Notes

    Toast of the Coast/San Diego Fair – Gold Medal / 90 Points

    Wine Enthusiast 87 Points

    California State Fair – 88 Points

    Houston Livestock – Double Gold Medal

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    CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Columbia Valley

    Vintage: 2017

    Accolades & Notes

    Wine Spectator 87 Points / Best Value

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    Cabernet Sauvignon, RESERVE, Napa Valley

    Vintage: 2017

    Accolades & Notes

    California State Fair – Gold Medal / 95 Points

    Toast of the Coast / San Diego Fair – Double Gold Medal / 94 Points

    WineReviewOnline.com 92 Points

    Sommelier Wine Challenge – Gold Medal / 92 points

    Wine Spectator 87 Points

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    MERLOT, Paso Robles

    Vintage: 2016

    Accolades & Notes

    Wine Enthusiast 86 Points

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    MERLOT, Columbia Valley

    Vintage: 2017

    Accolades & Notes

    Wine Spectator 86 Points / Best Value

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    RED WINE CUVÉE, Columbia Valley

    Vintage: 2014

    Accolades & Notes

    Wine Enthusiast 86 Points

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    PETITE SIRAH, Paso Robles

    Vintage: 2017

    Accolades & Notes

    Wine Enthusiast 91 Points / Best Buy

    Wine Spectator 86 Points/Top Value

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    ZINFANDEL, Lodi

    Vintage: 2016

    Accolades & Notes

    Wine Enthusiast 89 Points / Best Buy

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    SYRAH, Paso Robles

    Vintage: 2017

    Accolades & Notes

    Not yet rated

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    CHARDONNAY, Central Coast

    Vintage: 2018

    Accolades & Notes

    California State Fair – Double –Gold /Best of Class or Appellation / 99 Points

    San Francisco Chronicle Wine Comp – Gold Medal

    Wine Enthusiast 86 Points/Best Buy

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    CHARDONNAY, Columbia Valley

    Vintage: 2017

    Accolades & Notes

    Sommelier Wine Challenge – Gold Medal / 90 Points

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    SAUVIGNON BLANC, Mendocino County

    Vintage: 2017

    Accolades & Notes

    Dan Berger’s International Wine Comp 2018 – Gold Medal

    Wine Enthusiast 86 Points / Best Buy

Greg Popovich
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT

has been in the wine business for over 35 years. His “Award-winning Wines at Affordable Prices” formula has become a reality with the creation of Castle Rock. His passion for wine can now be seen in his leadership as he sets the strategic direction of the business and spearheads the company’s commercial and marketing activities.

Meghan Rech
DIRECTOR OF WINEMAKING

Meghan Rech was appointed as Castle Rock’s Director of Winemaking in June 2020. A graduate of U.C. Davis in Viticulture and Enology, Meghan has fourteen years of wine-making experience, most recently at Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville, where she had the position of Winemaker. Castle Rock has its bonded winery at the Francis Ford Coppola facility, and one of her key roles had been to oversee Castle Rock’s wines there from the crushing of grapes to final bottling, so Meghan’s transition to her role at Castle Rock was a very smooth one. She enjoys the creative aspects of winemaking, and focuses relentlessly on the quality of the wines she makes.

Dave McCormack
Vice President, Central Division

Dave joined Castle Rock Winery in March 2022 and is responsible for 13 states in the Midwest.

Dave started his wine career in a fine wine shop in Aspen, Colorado. He brings 25 years of combined wine and spirits experience, 22 of them with the third largest distributor in Illinois. He held roles of Sales Representative, Brand Management and Key Account Management in the Off Premise channel before joining Castle Rock Winery.

Dave lives in Glenview, Illinois with his wife Jennifer and their 2 boys
Michael and Tyler.

Stephen Ross
Vice President, Western Division

Stephen joined Castle Rock Winery in January 2015 and is responsible for the western states including Hawaii and Alaska.

A wine and spirit industry professional with over 20 years of combined experience in the National Chain Accounts and On/Off Premise markets. Stephen started his sales career at one of the largest distributors in the country, then later went on to hold multiple sales and management positions for various Wine and Spirits Suppliers before joining Castle Rock Winery.

Phil Roberts
Vice President, East Division

Phil joined Castle Rock Winery in October 2016 and is responsible for 18 states in the East, Southeast and Southwest.

Phil has worked in the wine and spirits industry for 40 years and has excelled in all three tiers of the industry as a General Manager of a statewide Michigan Wine and Spirits Distributor, as a National Wine Buyer for a national wine retail chain and has held executive sales positions in several Wine and Spirits Suppliers before joining Castle Rock Winery.

Phil lives in Pompano Beach, Florida with his wife Amalia and is an avid golfer.