Tablas Creek
Chelsea Franchi, Senior Assistant WinemakerChelsea Franchi grew up in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California with a family that encouraged her enthusiasm and fascination for wine. She attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo to study Agricultural Business and Wine and Viticulture.
While working on her degree, she got a job at Tablas Creek as a hostess and from there, moved into the tasting room. Upon graduation in 2008, she started her production career working hard as a cellar rat under the guidance of Winemaker Neil Collins. To further her knowledge and appreciation of wine, she took the first level sommelier exam in the middle of her first harvest. Her hard work and eagerness to learn paid off when she was offered the title of Assistant Winemaker in 2009.
Chelsea writes the Notes from the Cellar series on the Tablas Creek blog and thinks she has the best job in the world.
Nathan Stuart, ShepherdNathan was born and raised just a few miles from Tablas Creek in Paso Robles. As a young man he moved to Mexico to work with a humanitarian organization building homes for people in need. He lived in Mexico for 12 years and worked for many instrumental producers in the wine industry including Hugo Dacosta at Casa de Piedra, La Escuelita, and 5 Estrellas.
Nathan and his wife moved back to the Central Coast in 2011. Nathan worked as the Vineyard and Ranch Manager at Rangeland Wines where he developed their thriving sheep program. Nathan began working at Tablas Creek in the fall of 2016, bringing five years of experience grazing sheep in vineyards and eight years of vineyard management experience. On his days off, you can find Nathan surfing or making music.