Jory Winery was founded in 1986 in Los Gatos, California by Dan Lewis and Stillman Brown. Operating out of the historic Novitiate Winery, they quickly established a reputation for outstanding Chardonnay, made from rare, low yielding clones of Chardonnay grown in nearby Santa Clara and Monterey counties. In 1990 they moved production to a small winery outside Gilroy, and soon after began making Chardonnay from the nearby Lion Oaks Ranch, planted to the rare Corton-Charlemagne clone. They also began to bottle small lots and blends of esoteric varietals under labels such as the Red Zeppelin, Old Barrister, and Black Hand. In 1994 they began to produce a New Mexico Sauvignon Blanc, using a separate facility in Albuquerque; these wines went on to win gold medals in major international wine competitions. In the busy year of 1997, they moved their California production to two wineries in the Paso Robles area, harvested the first Syrah from Lion Oaks Ranch, began to produce red wine in New Mexico, and unveiled the infamous painting of the death of Elvis that spawned their legendary parties. Today, without their own winery, vineyard, or tasting room in either state, they now make over five thousand cases of wine, primarily Chardonnay and Syrah from hillside vineyards in Californias northern central coast region.