Thomas D. Jones, Proprietor & Winemaker
Thomas D. Jones, President & Winemaker
Raised in Northern California Thomas (Tom) graduated from University of California, Davis with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Geology, 1980. He worked a harvest for a micro-winery near the California Coast soon thereafter. Enthused by all aspects of winemaking, Tom attended graduate school at University of California, Davis in the 1980s. While completing a Master of Science degree in Food Science (Enology & Viticulture) Tom became the founding winemaker for his family’s winery, Lava Cap, in Placerville, California. He developed Lava Cap’s reputation for award-winning wines from 1986 to 2013 and then chose to retire to begin new endeavors.
In the fall of 2014, Tom took over as owner and winemaker at Amador Foothill Winery located in Amador’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Tom stated “For a winemaker there is no substitution for walking the vineyards, observing the conditions, and most importantly tasting the ripening grapes to determine when they are bursting with flavor. Our new estate affords me control from the vine to the bottle for all of my wines.”
Tom brings a joy of engineering and old world finesse with recognition of showing the best from the vineyard to handcraft his balanced, flavorful wines. He is well known for exquisite white wines, including Chardonnay, as well as supremely well-structured red wines such as Zinfandel and Barbera.
Tom lives with his wife Beth near the winery. In his free time he enjoys exploring the remote regions of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and playing golf.