Team

Meet the people behind Bending Branch Winery.

Robert W. Young, M.D.

Dr. Bob was drawn to the beauty and legacy of wine regions in Europe, South America and the U.S. As a physician, he found the art and science of winemaking intriguing, as well as the increasing research regarding red wine’s impact on health. He progressed from a course in viticulture and enology study to a property search in the Texas Hill Country, near where his daughter Alison was starting a family. He enrolled in the rigorous Winemaker Certification Program at UC Davis, an international leader in winemaker academics and research.

Dr. Bob became a 2009 Renaud Society inductee, and he is a member of The American Society of Enology and Viticulture and the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association. A Phi Beta Kappa, Dr. Young holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry (KY), a Doctorate of Medicine (KY), a master’s degree in Public Health in Health Care Administration (MI) and is boarded in Preventive Medicine. He serves on the Board of Directors of The Comfort Area Foundation.

Greg Stokes and Deborah Elissagaray

Bending Branch Winery’s California wines are made by our winemaking team of Greg Stokes and Deborah Elissagaray at Ursa Vineyards in the Sierra Foothills. Greg and Deb bottled the first Tannat wine in California. It was this connection that led Dr. Bob to pursue working with them. In 2014, Bob purchased Ursa, and Greg joined the Bending Branch Winery team. In 2018, Greg and Deb were awarded Best Winemakers of El Dorado County.