Jean Claude Beck
I was born at harvest in the Alsace region of France, the son of a winemaker who was also born the son of a winemaker. The lines of my resume are written like the rows of vines in the vineyard. The parallel between my education, experience and life passion for my profession has been deeply rooted and richly crafted in the history of my life.
I took my first steps through the soil in the vineyards, and before I studied grammar, I learned to clean the barrels. I was immersed in sunlight and soil, and early on I understood altitude and orientation, and as a child first hand I studied the structure of the vines. I was awake at early light when the leaves held small amounts of residual precipitation. I learned to drive a team of horses to work the land, and to repair and realign the staves of a leaking barrel.
"My passion for winemaking is elemental"
In a small village south of Strasbourg, on the eastern slopes of the Vosges mountains since the 1500’s my family’s lineage and roots can be traced back to winemaking.
A family of vintner’s and farmers I learned to cultivate and harvest by hand Riesling, Pino Grigio, and Muscat. For two decades I owned and operated my own winery in France.
Opportunity brought me to the United States, first to the prestigious vineyards and winery's of Napa Valley California, and then to the fertile soils of the Yakima Valley in Washington State. Now I begin the journey of my new venture. I bring experience and passion to my latest project Le Bec Fin.
It is by taste and touch that the winemaker commands the harvest’s exact time, from the vine to the harvester’s hand, to the barrel or steel tank, to bottle, the finishing of the wine is in my hands, and I am a winemaker who works to blend with feeling, art, and intuition.