Zaca Mesa Winery Co-Founder Dies
John C. Cushman III Established Historic Santa Barbara County Vineyard and Brand in 1973
Without Zaca Mesa Winery, where generations of winemakers trained and the American Rhône movement is rooted, who knows where Santa Barbara County wine would be today?
A critical part of that legacy is John C. Cushman III, who co-founded the vineyard with five friends in 1973, took over as sole owner 15 years later, and shepherded the brand through decades of triumphs and challenges. He died on May 4 at 82 years of age.
“I didn’t realize how complicated it was, and it remains complicated,” Cushman told me in 2020. “It’s capital intensive. The regulatory environment is challenging. The wholesale world is complex. But you gotta remember one thing: The Cushman family, unlike most wineries and vineyards in the area, we’ve been at it for 48 years.”
