More Than
Just a Winery

Our roots run deep here in Lodi. With over 150 years of family farming, the Michael David name has become more than just a winery; it's a culture.

The Phillips Family

We and Lodi go way back. We’ve been farming this soil since the 1860’s and cultivating wine grapes since the early 20th century. Our founders, brothers Michael and David Phillips, are 5th generation grape growers who have raised their families in the vineyard, and now the 6th generation has joined the team, Mike’s daughter Melissa. We, more than most, understand the importance of leaving it better than you found it for future generations. Our family legacy and love of Lodi drive our focus on sustainability.

Plus, we’re pretty fun too.

Winemaking Team

No matter what kinds of crazy stories you’ve heard, you can’t make wine with robots. Well maybe you can, we’ve actually never tried it. The real humans on our winemaking team, while slightly less good at some things (e.g. The Robot), are just really good at the delicate balance of farming, science, and intuition that is making our wine. Which is something we can all agree R2D2 really sucked at.

Mike Phillips (aka “Michael”)

Co-Owner & Founder

Lifetime tractor driver, UC Davis grad, 5th generation Lodi grape grower, brother, husband, father, grandfather, jet-setter, untraditionalist.

Raised in Lodi, Mike worked harvests from a young age. After college, he wanted to show the wine world what Lodi was capable of and started planting unexpected varietals. In 1984, he opened a small tasting room at his parents’ farmstand. Today, you know that farmstand as Michael David Winery, and it’s helped put Lodi on the map as one of the finest wine regions in the world.

Dave Phillips (aka “David”)

Co-Owner

Early adopter of farmer’s markets, underage winemaker, long distance runner, UC Davis alum, champion of Lodi Wines, cork dork, brother, husband, father, outdoor enthusiast.

Working the family farm and vineyards from a young age, Dave returned to Lodi in 1989 after graduation, a job in the wine cork industry, and backpacking the world. Since then, he’s combined his love of our wines with his love of travelling by overseeing distribution from just one state to all 50, then onto 32 countries!

Melissa Phillips-Stroud

VP of Sales & Marketing

Director of Awesomeness, Lodi philanthropist, eternal optimist, dance enthusiast, sister, wife, mother, wannabe yogi, secret Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

A recovering overachiever, Melissa graduated from Cal Poly with a double degree in Ag Business and Wine & Viticulture before heading to Sonoma State for her Certificate of Wine Business. With 10+ years in the wine industry, she strives for innovation while leading an empowered team. A seeker of life balance, Melissa enjoys sugary cereal... with organic milk of course.

Jeff Farthing

Director of Winemaking

Smartypants wine guy, fermentation enthusiast, knowledge sharer, Fresno State alum, father, watersports devotee, music maker.

Cutting his winemaking teeth in the Napa and Shenandoah Valleys, Jeff joined our team in 2009 and has been making award-winning wines ever since. With a published study and quite a few wine conference presentations under his belt, Jeff still finds every opportunity to surf, dive, ski, hang at the beach with his family and toast special moments with great wine.

Sean Goehring

Winemaker

Golf wizard, horse whisperer, Bakersfield transplant, seeker of the great outdoors, chef extraordinaire, husband, father, wine buff, practical joker.

Graduating from UC Davis in 2009 with a degree in Viticulture and Enology, Sean started his wine journey working in the foothills of Amador County. He eventually made his way to Lodi, joining our team as a harvest lab technician in 2011. Knowing he didn’t suffer through 4 years of midterms and finals to take sugar samples all day, Sean was relentless in his ambition and worked up to Lab Supervisor, Enologist, and now Winemaker. (Que the slow clap)
We Don't Break the Rules, We Make the Rules

Rooted in Lodi

We’ve called Lodi our home for 6 generations, and our winery, still family-run, continues to stay committed to the land, community, and spirit of our hometown.

Our unconventional collection of wines are all responsibly grown in Lodi, California according to the Lodi Rules, a set of over 100 standards that account for all aspects of making quality wine in a sustainable manner: environmental, social, and economic.

Lodi Rules
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