Diego Roig came to wine sideways. He was weighing law school when a friend poured him something alive and strange, and that was it. He worked harvests in France and New Zealand before finishing a viticulture and enology degree at UC Davis. Shaunt Oungoulian arrived by a similar route: one vintage in Mendocino's Anderson Valley led to UC Davis, then to Burgundy, where he apprenticed with Philippe Valette in Macon and Julie Balagny in Fleurie. The two met at Davis, and in 2014 they launched Les Lunes from a cellar in Richmond, California, in the East Bay hills.
The Vineyards
Roig and Oungoulian lease and farm more than 20 hectares of vineyards spread across Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino Counties. Every site is certified organic or in conversion. Rather than correcting deficiencies at the crush pad, they address them in the vineyard through targeted pruning, cover cropping, and compost application, building the kind of balanced fruit that requires minimal cellar work. Named sites include the historic Barra Vineyard in Mendocino, Linda Vista, Breuske Vineyard, and parcels in Los Carneros and the Venturi Vineyard.
Winemaking
The partners built their own cellar, which they say gives them the freedom to age wines across multiple vintages before releasing them. Fermentations run on indigenous yeasts. Wines rest in neutral oak or Flextank, depending on the variety, and sulfur is used sparingly and assessed barrel by barrel, with some cuvees receiving no addition at all. Nothing is fined or filtered.
The Wines
Les Lunes is the flagship label, focused on the finest sites and made for extended aging: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon with a classical California character built on natural acidity rather than manipulated structure. Populis is the sister label, sourcing from multi-generational Mendocino growers and producing fresh, early-drinking whites, roses, and reds from varieties including Grenache Blanc, Tocai Friulano, Picpoul, and Vermentino.
