Surcos Wines

Surcos Wines (pronounced soor-cose). The family Napa Valley story begins with Enrique Gallegos Sr., who was from the small town of El Llano in Michoacán, Mexico. His immigration to California was part of the World War II Bracero program. Bracero, in Spanish means “manual” laborer – this program came about through various laws and agreements in 1942 between the United States and Mexico to bring in temporary workers to Stockton California. This program was extended after the war and was active all the way until 1964. Gallegos moved to Napa sometime in the late 1950s.

During this post prohibition period of Napa’s history there were very few wineries in the valley, however by the late 1950s there were approximately ten wineries in Napa Valley who are still producing commercially today. One of these wineries, was Beringer – where Enrique and other Gallegos family worked. Part of the Gallegos family were one of the earliest Mexican immigrant farming families to settle in St. Helena.

Enrique Gallegos Jr., came to Napa in the late 1960s and began working at Bayview Vineyards. In the 1970s, his wife heard about a new vineyard owner looking for workers; this was Ken Laird. Enrique drove down to Bayview Lane in Carneros, met Ken, and was soon hired. Ken asked if he had other family members who wanted work, which led to more of the family joining the company. Enrique has worked for the company for more than 45 years.

Enrique’s wife also worked at Laird; when she started, she carried her one-year-old son Luies Gallegos in a backpack while working in the vineyard.

And it was Luies who 4+ decades later would start Surcos Wines. He began his career in wine in 1999, when he started working in the cellar at Laird Family Estate. At the time, it was only going to be a temporary position for that year’s harvest. After returning from Mexico, he reconnected with Laird and was hired full-time. There, he learned hands on winemaking, recalling that he was especially fascinated by seeing the process of grapes transformed into a bottled product. He was just 20 years old. The production team on the custom crush side of Laird’s operations was small, which gave him the opportunity to work closely with and learn from respected winemakers such as Andy Smith, Rolando Herrera, Julian Gonzalez, Mark Aubert, Celia Welch, and Paul Hobbs.

In 2004, Rebecca Laird offered him the position of Cellar Master, overseeing the production of Laird Wines. He was in his mid-20s at the time. He remembers that year, they brought in 62 tons of grapes. From 2004 to 2016, he expanded his knowledge across all aspects of the industry—vineyard work, bottling, and production logistics, including sourcing corks, capsules, and barrels.

In 2016, he left Laird and joined team at Gundlach Bundschu as Cellar Master. During his time there, he wore many hats, taking on responsibilities that included human resources, managing facilities and production, and eventually advancing to Production Winemaker. He worked there until the end of the 2024 harvest.

The idea for the Surcos brand came to him while sitting at home, researching how many vineyard rows (“surcos”) his family had worked over the years. The label reflects this legacy: the first three rows on his wine label are aligned in the same direction to honor three generations in the same industry, while the fourth row represents the next generation—his children—and is intentionally set apart. If they choose to enter the wine industry in the future, he plans to align that fourth row with the other three.

The first vintage of Surcos in 2019 included Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé of Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. All of his wines are 100% varietal. While he initially experimented with blending, he found he preferred the 100% varietal expressions. His winemaking style focuses on approachability—softening tannins while maintaining strong quality at an accessible price point. A production of 170 cases is considered large for him, with most SKUs consisting of just a few barrels.

Luies and his wife Paola visited wine shops to identify which labels stood out to them, preferring those visuals which presented a clean and distinctive design. He shared his vision with his cousin, Marlene Coro of Marlene Coro Design; she created the Surcos label. And it is a brand built through a network of other friends he knows in the business, including when he needs grapes, glass, corks and capsules.

All of his red wines are aged in 50% new French oak barrels, with the barrels made by Master Cooper Ramiro Herrera until his tragic passing at age 52 in 2026.

These are not homogenous bottlings. Each of these wine is a distinctive 100% varietal expression. Luies doesn’t necessarily make the wines for himself; he makes the wines for his clients. He always asks the important question, ‘would people drink this”. And he values and respects feedback, always looking to improve on his craft.

Select Wines
Sauvignon Blanc
The 2024 Surcos Sauvignon Blanc, Rancho dos Lagos Vineyard, Lake County is pale to medium gold in color. This wine is a listed 12.8% ABV and was fermented 100% in stainless steel vessels slow and cold at about 50F. Luies watches the ferment closely, one brix at at time, keeping a careful eye on the temperatures each day. The nose offers beautiful, clean and bright aromatics; it is fully ripe but there is an aromatic lift from citrus and spring florals. These scents include jasmine, honeysuckle, citrus blossom, Meyer lemon, lime, not fully ripe pineapple and an accompanying flinty/steely character. The palate is ripe and vibrant; this balanced expression tastes like honeydew melon, pomelo, pineapple, white peach, lemon zest and a light finishing note of dried thyme and tarragon. And it has lovely texture, buoyed high by the juicy but not bracing acidity. This wine never crosses into the territory of being either tropical or grassy, but is saddled somewhere in between. Luies called the pick date on this vintage perfectly. And for reference, the 2022 bottle of this wine earned a gold in the American Fine Wine Competition (AFWC) held in Florida. Rolando Sanchez works for Walsh Vineyard Management and grew the grapes for this wine near Lower Lake.

Chardonnay
The 2022 Rancho Escuela, Carneros Napa Valley is named in Spanish, honoring the former Carneros Elementary School. After this school was permanently closed, Luies started managing the vineyard behind the school, planted entirely to Chardonnay. This wine is medium gold in color. The nose is distinctly Chardonnay, offering aromas of vanilla, butter, orange melon—perhaps cantaloupe—along with butterscotch, baked apples, and crème brûlée. It is highly appealing, almost dessert-like in its aromatic profile. On the palate, it continues in that vein, with flavors of butterscotch, crème brûlée, caramel, vanilla, popcorn butter, and ripe fruits including yellow peach, pear, lychee, mango, and ripe papaya. The bouquet shows impressive aromatic intensity. The mouthfeel is rounded and supple, almost like running one’s fingers through the fur of a young miniature schnauzer. It finishes with a light note of toasted oak, never crossing into overt oaky-ness. This is a completely different expression of the variety compared to the 2023 bottling.

The 2023 Surcos Chardonnay, Rancho Lone Oak, Russian River Valley, was fermented in one new French oak barrel, one neutral barrel, and one stainless steel drum. Each fermentation vessel contributes a distinct characteristic to the wine. It is medium to deep gold in color, with a bright, tangy bouquet featuring lemon drop candy, vanilla, butter, apricot, yellow peach, and tropical notes of papaya and mango. On the palate, it shows flavors of fully ripe Golden Delicious apple, pear, honeycomb, vanilla, papaya, mango, and lychee. This is a textural expression of the variety, with a rounded and supple mouthfeel. While the fruit profile is fully ripe, it is supported by bright acidity. The finish lingers with a note of butterscotch and remains lively.

Rosé
The 2024 Surcos Pinot Noir Rosé, Rancho Lazy W Vineyard in the Russian River Valley spent 2–3 hours on the skins, resulting in a very appealing medium pink/copper hue—no color correction needed. With rosé in particular, color matters, and this one is especially attractive in the glass. The nose is bright and expressive, offering aromas of raspberry, strawberry, red cherry, blood orange, and a subtle note of dried herbs. It comes across as fresh, with a slightly savory edge. The palate delivers a distinctive strawberry note—described by Luies as reminiscent of biting into a strawberry that is partially red and partially white, just shy of full ripeness. The wine is bright and succulent, with vibrant acidity and a well-balanced profile. Additional flavors include red cherry, watermelon pith, ruby grapefruit, and cranberry. There is also a gentle texture, a light, rounded, silky feel supported by the lively acidity. The finish shows a faint dusty character, more noticeable on the front of the palate than the back. Easy-drinking and refreshing, this is a wine where one sip naturally leads to another.

Reds
Pinot Noir
Luies learned how to make Pinot Noir under the guidance of Paul Hobbs. In 2014, he approached Rebecca Laird with the idea of producing a Pinot Noir for Laird Family Estate. After discussing it with Justin, he secured a ton of grapes and crafted a sample. When he presented it to the family, they enjoyed it so much that they decided to bottle and release it. Today, Laird produces three Pinot Noirs. Luies also produces a Pinot Noir for Surcoes each year.

The 2024 Surcos Pinot Noir (clone 115) from Rancho Lazy W Vineyard was fermented in four barrels—two new French oak and two neutral. This wine is medium ruby in color. The nose shows both fruit and barrel influence, with aromas of mocha, milk chocolate, light toast, blackberry, dark mulberry, red cherry, red strawberry, red licorice and very subtle layers of white pepper, cedar and cardamom. It is soft across the palate, with the acidity becoming more noticeable toward the finish. Flavors include red licorice, cherry, dark raspberry, strawberry, boysenberry, dark mulberry, and blueberry. This wine lingers with gentle wood tannins expressed as a dusty, chalky character alongside a note white pepper, smoked cedar and dark cocoa powder. The light dusty element runs in tandem with the fruit on the finish. While distinctly Californian in style, it retains a freshness and brightness so that it never crosses the line into overripe territory. And this bottling in particular needs some time to open in its youth.

The 2023 Surcos Pinot Noir (Wädenswil—a Swiss clone) from Los Carneros, Napa Valley, comes from a vineyard located near Ceja’s property. This wine is also medium ruby in color, with a bouquet that is varietally expressive yet more fruit-forward. Aromas include raspberry, Santa Rosa plum, boysenberry, Persian mulberry, and lighter layers of baking spices such as clove and cardamom. On the palate, it offers strawberry, black cherry, dark raspberry, dark plum, and a hint of black licorice. This is a softer expression in terms of texture, with well-rounded, polished tannins that emerge gradually and linger gently. The finish is lightly spicy, with notes of white pepper, smoked cedar, and dried herbs including sage and bay leaf, along with a persistent drying character. In a blind tasting, the listed ABV of 13.2% might not be immediately apparent, as the wine presents as slightly riper on the palate while remaining balanced. This wine was aged in two new French oak barrels and two neutral French oak barrels.

Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2023 Surcos Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County was fermented in 50% new French oak and 50% neutral oak. Luies took over the management of this vineyard from viticulturist Phil Coturri. Luies makes each Cabernet Sauvignon representative of their own vineyard. This wine is deep ruby and opaque with some purplish hues. The nose is focused on darker fruits with a sweet barrel spice influence. This wine smells like dark plum, boysenberry, dark cherry, blackberry and baking spice layers including cloves, mocha, cocoa powder, milk chocolate and cinnamon stick. Dark fruited but with a savory edge, this wine tastes like blackberry, dark plum, smoked cedar, dried herbs including sage. The finish lingers with both barrel and grape tannins exerting a dense but not coarse grip. This texture lingers beyond the fruit with a dusty, chalky and chewy character. This wine has character, complexity, loads of layers, and depth. Steak please. The quality of this wine far exceeds its reasonable price.

The 2023 Surcos Cabernet Sauvignon, Rancho El Ecuaro, Atlas Peak Napa Valley. Luies and his father mange this vineyard, only 500 vines. When Luies’s father was young, he would often refer to his ‘ecuaro’, a small plot of land where you would plant a home garden. And since the vineyard is so small, this seemed like an appropriate name. This wine is deep ruby and almost opaque; the bouquet is ripe and sweetly fruited. The first aromatic we noted is that of Satsuma plum, with boysenberry, dark mulberry, blackberry, sweet pipe tobacco and supported sweeter baking spices including cinnamon stick, nutmeg and clove. Balanced, with loads of layers, the fruit is highly expressive with less influence of the oak on the bouquet than the palate. This wine tastes like dark raspberry, cherry, boysenberry and Persian mulberry with a finishing note of dried tobacco leaf. And also lingers with gravelly textured and dusty tannins – whose influence outruns the fruit on the finish with a drying character. And the supporting acidity is medium + offering plenty of Atlas peak brightness to the overall character of this wine.

The 2023 Surcos Cabernet Sauvignon, Steffensen Vineyard Coombsviille Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby and nearly opaque. This wine is a union of both darker fruit and toasted oak barrel influences. This wine smells like ripe raspberry, Santa Rosa plum, boysenberry, blackberry and red mulberry. Its non fruited scents are of mocha, espresso, a note of old cedar box and dark cocoa powder. Ripe, yet also simultaneously bright, this wine sings at this age, only 2.5 years post vintage. For reference, many bottlings from Napa Valley from this vintage need time in the bottle for the tannins to resolve and layers to harmonize. This wine sports the character and complexity of the vintage but is already approachable in its youth. Bright with a vivacious acidity, this wine shows lots of movement, by this we mean it’s tension between both flavor, acidity and texture. It tastes more red fruited than dark, showing the freshness of Coombsville. The broadly coating tannins sport a dusty, firm and very long-lasting grip, expressing both barrel and fruit. Lingers with a light note of smoked cedar on the finish. This wine needs a well marbled steak and a BBQ, prime rib please.

The harvest dates are always printed on the front labels. And all back labels mention, “Braceros to Bottle”.

Napa Winery/Tasting Room
In 2025 Surcos Wines moved their production and hospitality into a small shared winery located in an industrial zone a few minutes’ drive south of downtown Napa. This area is known as the ‘Crusher District”, named for numerous wineries who typically do not own vineyards but make their wine in this part of town and often have associated tasting rooms. The tasting space features an intimate room for guests to enjoy the wines, directly next to the entrance to the barrel room and winery.

The Surcos wines are currently featured at, or have previously been poured at several local restaurants and retailers, including Villa Corona, La Chevre, and La Hacienda in Food City, which is where we first discovered his wines. Additional placements include Cole’s Chophouse, Los Agaves, Allegria, and Sonoma Grill. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Surcos wines have been available at Doña Ji and Xica in San Francisco, Bacchus & Vino in Sausalito, and Zins in San Rafael. Beyond Northern California, these wines can also be found at Farm Point in Los Angeles, Cervezalandia in Sacramento, Wine Buff in Visalia, Gusto al Gusto in Fairfield, and Newcastle in Auburn.

Total production varies by vintage but typically ranges between 500 and 700 cases annually. Luies continues to expand his wholesale accounts including working toward bringing his wines into parts of Mexico. Surcos Wines offers tastings by appointment seven days a week.

In addition to his work in wine, Luies launched Luiesito’s Landscaping in April 2025—a business affectionately named after the nickname his mother calls him. The company provides services including sod installation, maintenance, tree work, and French drain systems, operating across Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and the greater Bay Area. In 2021 he founded Latinos en la Industria (LELI), an organization to create a network for Latinos in the wine industry, fostering community and professional connections.

To purchase wine, schedule a tasting at the winery or for more information, visit: www.surcoswines.com