Comanche Cellars - Dog & Pony
Monterey AVA
Comanche Cellars crafts small batches of site-driven wines that show off the distinctive terroir this part of the state has to offer.
Located on California’s Monterey Peninsula, Comanche Cellars offers small lots of handcrafted wines, produced from some of the most distinctive vineyards in Santa Lucia Highlands, Arroyo Seco, San Antonio Valley, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. This tiny artisan winery is owned by winemaker and ex-contractor Michael Simons, who turned his passion for home winemaking into a business in 2007 and hasn’t looked back since.
Michael Simons grew up in Santa Barbara County, and as a kid, had a paper route on the outskirts of town. Instead of riding a bicycle, Simons rode his beloved horse Comanche, which he later named his winery after. Comanche was an important part of Simons’ childhood life, and he’s proud this his name - and horseshoes - are now on each and every bottle of wine he produces.
Simons originally pursued a career as a contractor, but he fell in love with wine along the way, and began making small batches in the basement of his home. Well, one batch turned into two, and two turned into three, and so on. Before he knew it, his basement and the entire house were overflowing with barrels and Simons found himself officially in the wine business.
Comanche Cellars offers a wide variety of wines, all produced in very limited quantities (total annual production is under 1,800 cases) while showing off the best vineyards and terroir that Monterey County has to offer. Simons also operates a second label called Dog & Pony, which tells the story of a stray dog that followed him one day while on a paper route with Comanche. Named to honor the special friendship that these three misfits shared, Dog & Pony features several Old-World, ‘obscure’ varietals. We are happy to introduce our Gold Wine Club members to Comanche Cellars!
